Monkstown Parish Church, Dublin

Monkstown Parish Church, Dublin Monkstown Parish Church is a Church of Ireland church situated in Monkstown Village in South County Dublin, Ireland. They date from 1870 and cost £244.

The Church of Ireland is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion of churches. History of the church

The parish of Monkstown has its origins in the old medieval church site at the top of Carrickbrennan Road. The old church was built in 1668 using the stones from the original building. The old church was enlarged in 1748 but became too small for the congregation and deemed unsuitable for use by t

he 1780’s. In 1785, building work began on a new church in the centre of the village. It was consecrated on Sunday 30 August 1789. It was a plain rectangular building, designed to accommodate 340 worshippers. At this period Monkstown church was the only Anglican church between Ringsend and Bray. The plain Georgian style church was replaced by the present building between the years 1825 - 1831. The architect was John Semple (1801-82) who also designed St Mary’s Chapel of Ease, commonly called the ‘Black Church’ in Dublin’s north inner city. The building of the new church was a long and arduous affair and took 8 years to complete. The designs were changed on numerous occasions, four different building committees were appointed, fundraising for the building was inadequate, the builders went on strike, disagreements were common and Archbishop Magee who masterminded the whole project suffered from a stroke and died before the building was completed. The new church opened on Christmas day 1831 to very mixed reactions. The new church was a clever modification of the old Georgian church. Semple demolished the east end of the Georgian church, added two transepts with large galleries resulting in a ‘T’ shaped building. The Georgian nave is preserved in modified form from the west doors to where the transepts intersect the nave. The original interior was filled with pews facing a triple-decker pulpit, which in turn towered above a diminutive altar beneath. This arrangement of the interior, which even at the time of the opening of the church was considered rather old fashioned, lay emphasis on the ministry of the word and preaching rather than on the sacraments. Whatever about the interior, the exterior came in for some criticism also. One correspondent writing in the Dublin Penny Journal in 1834 describing the church as ‘a perversion of judgement and taste’! By the 1860’s the interior arrangement of Monkstown church was hopelessly out of date on ecclesiological grounds and its auditorium lay-out came in for criticism from the more progressive wing of the Church of Ireland. In 1865, Archbishop Trench in his charge to the diocese spoke of the ‘extraordinary unsightliness of many of our churches… the un-ecclesiastical character of their arrangements… the huge wooden fortress [triple-decker pulpits] rising up in the centre, blocking out all view of the chancel… a legacy from past times…’ Plans were discussed to rebuild Monkstown church but lack of funds resulted in a compromise instead to extend the church eastwards and create a new choir and chancel. Despite opposition that such an extension would ruin the harmony of Semple’s church, a plan by John McCurdy was approved and sanctioned by the archbishop. McCurdy was an inspired choice of architect and managed to marry his large eastward extension to the Semple ‘T’ shaped building so that the whole edifice blends seamlessly together. The architect Thomas Drew, most often associated with the restoration of Dublin’s Christ Church Cathedral undertook a refurbishment of the church in 1883. He remodeled the transept porches, created the elaborate arcaded reredos behind the altar, installed the sanctuary floor tiles and designed the low screen wall at the top of the steps from the nave to the choir. He also designed a decorative high-Victorian paint scheme for the choir and sanctuary walls which unfortunately has not survived. The tiled floor in the sanctuary is interesting and involved the use of leftover tiles from the floors in Christ Church Cathedral. The lion’s head motifs on the tiling are identical to those used in the cathedral. The cost of erecting the Caen stone carved reredos was met by a Mrs Hart, and a shield bearing her cipher may be seen on the piece. Monuments The memorial tablets in the church are well worth reading and examining closely. Three were sculpted by Thomas Kirk, who also designed Nelson’s Pillar. They commemorate Richard Brown, John Armit and Annie Arthure. The oldest monument was moved from the old church at Carrickbrennan and was re-erected in the present church in 1789. It commemorates Dr Benjamin Domvile and dates to 1774. Stained Glass The stained glass windows are of varying dates and quality. The transept windows date from 1843 but the maker is unknown. The Mayer & Co east windows behind the high altar are known as ‘carpet windows’ due to their similarity to Persian carpet designs. The windows on the west side of the north and south transepts are war memorial windows and were made in 1920 by Douglas Sons & Co of Belfast. The pattered ‘cathedral glass’ windows on the south wall of the choir were installed in 1884 and do little to enhance the church. John Betjeman described such glass as ‘that odious invention of green and pink’! Altar The carved oak high altar in the sanctuary was designed by Richard Orpan in memory of Chancellor Dowse. The design on the front of the altar echoes the decoration on the reredos and arcading behind. The side chapel altar came from St John’s chuch, Mounttown when that church closed. Organ The organ is the fourth to be installed in the church. The first in 1789 stood on the west gallery of the Georgian church. The second instrument was installed in 1832 and was described as an instrument of ‘great power and sweetness’. A three manual Telford & Telford organ was installed in 1872. The present organ by Gray and Davison was installed in 1898 and includes an organ case designed by William Kaye Parry. The organ has been restored on a number of occasions since and is used for church services and recitals. Like it or loath it, Monkstown church is talked about to this day in architectural and historic circles. It is distinctive, loud and brash, it is a landmark in the centre of the village, it captures the imagination and encourages comment and analysis. It is photographed daily and visitors are inspired by it. It makes one smile or frown and is greatly loved by its parishioners. It looks Irish, Moorish, English. Its confection of battlements, finials, extraordinary paint decoration and plasterwork both clash and harmonise. It is affectionately known as the ‘chess piece church’ that ‘funny church’ in the middle of the road and even as the ‘cathedral’ of south Dublin! Whatever you think of it, thank you for visiting and may God bless you on your travels.

The death has occurred of Elsie Todd (née Espey)Monkstown, Dublin Todd (née Espey) Elsie (Monkstown, Co. Dublin) wife of...
26/01/2023

The death has occurred of Elsie Todd (née Espey)
Monkstown, Dublin
Todd (née Espey) Elsie (Monkstown, Co. Dublin) wife of the late Ken, in her 97th year. Called home on January 24, 2023. Sadly missed by her daughters Olwen, Joyce, Carol and son David, sisters Ruth and Betty, sons-in-law Donal, Tom and Gerry, daughter-in-law Linda, grandchildren Amy, Sam, Andrew, Aaron, Grace, Alice, Matthew, Nathan and Casey, great-grandchildren Elsie, Isobel, Eleanor, Cora and Luca, nieces and nephews, extended family, neighbours and friends.
Now resting where no shadows fall
Elsie will be reposing on Saturday, 28th January 2023, in Carnegies Funeral Home, Monkstown, (A94XK28) from 2pm to 4pm. Funeral Service on Monday, January 30th, at 11am in Monkstown Parish Church followed by burial in Deans Grange Cemetery. For those who cannot attend, the Service can be viewed using the following link: https://monkstownchurchofireland.com/. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to Blackrock Hospice using this link: https://olh.ie/.
Date Published: Wednesday 25th January 2023
Date of Death: Tuesday 24th January 2023

10/01/2023

The death has occurred of Gillian Donnelly (née Bailey)
Cabinteely, Dublin
Peacefully, after a long illness bravely borne, surrounded by her family, in the tender care of Dr. Fennelly and his team at the Blackrock Clinic. Beloved wife of the late Brendan and loving mother of Leah and Mark. Sadly missed by her son, daughter, sister Sylvia, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, extended family and many close friends. At Rest. Funeral Service at 11am on Thursday, January 12th, in Monkstown Parish Church followed by cremation at Mount Jerome Crematorium. The Service may be viewed online on the parish website at: https://monkstownchurchofireland.com. Family flowers only please.
Date Published: Monday 9th January 2023
Date of Death: Sunday 8th January 2023

A very happy and joyful Christmas to all our readers, parishioners and friends!
22/12/2022

A very happy and joyful Christmas to all our readers, parishioners and friends!

Rector’s Letter for the week of 18 December 2022You Tube Link for live streaming services:https://www.youtube.com/channe...
22/12/2022

Rector’s Letter for the week of 18 December 2022
You Tube Link for live streaming services:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw9yjPMe6ExEvlB8ycfktCg/videos?view=57

Dear parishioners and friends,

As we draw ever closer to Christmas we turn our thoughts to arrangements for Christmas in the parish especially in relation to church services. Over the Christmas period our parishioners and friends will wish to make their Christmas communion. There will be a celebration of the Eucharist on Wednesday 21 December at 10:45, Christmas morning (Sunday 25 December) at 09:00 and at 10:45. A Christmas Eucharist will also be celebrated in Carrick Manor on Thursday 22 December at 10:45. All our services apart from the 09:00 Eucharist on Christmas morning and the Carrick Manor Eucharist are live streamed. Those who are unable to come out to church over the Christmas period and who wish to receive Holy Communion at home should make contact with me to arrange this.

The annual subscriptions for the Church Review, our diocesan magazine are due at the end of the month. If you would like to subscribe to the magazine the cost is €40 for 2023. Eleven editions are produced yearly and it is a useful publication to read to get the news of what is going on in the Dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough. If you would like to continue your subscription or be a new subscriber please make out a cheque (or cash) for €40 (payable to Monkstown Parish Church), place in a sealed envelope together with your name and address, clearly marked ‘Church Review’ and put it in one of the collection baskets on or before Christmas Day. The magazines are usually available at the back of the church on the first Sunday of the month with your name on it.

The Church of Ireland Gazette is an all-Ireland publication and is available for a yearly subscription cost of €50. Again, if you would like to take out a subscription for 2023 please place €50 (cheque made payable to Monkstown Parish Church) or cash in a sealed envelope with your name and address, clearly marked ‘Gazette’ in a collection basket by Christmas Day.

Advent sees a flurry of work taking place to prepare the church beautifully for Christmas. Chris Luby, our caretaker set up our crib. Valerie Little made our beautiful Advent Wreath and Chris and Niall Carnegie erected the Christmas tree and we thank them also for doing this also for us. It is lovely to see Monkstown Parish Church looking so wonderful for the festivities.

Bishops’ Appeal envelopes are available at the back of the church and please feel free to place your donation in an envelope and put it in any of the collection baskets. We hope to exceed our 2021 giving to the appeal. Please note that the 2022 appeal will close after the services on Christmas Day in order that the final amount can be submitted to the dioceses by 31 December.

Donations of new toys and books (not pre-loved) may be left under the church Christmas tree. When the tree comes down in January, the toys and books are collected together, and are donated to the Jigsaw Centre at the Darndale Crèche in North Dublin. The toys are used by the staff for birthdays for the children and the centre is always grateful for our generous support each year. We will also gladly accept donations of unwanted Christmas presents after Christmas and we can use these for the charities we support throughout the year and also as raffle prizes.

You may have noticed that the old desk at the back of the church, the one with the carved lion’s heads, has vanished. We have not pawned or given it away but it has gone to the Lexicon, Dun Laoghaire on loan for an exhibition to mark the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Hall School, Monkstown. It will be back to us again mid January. The desk was Miss Vaughan’s desk (headmistress) from her office in the school. It possibly came to the church after the closure of the school. The exhibition organization committee has written the following. ‘We would like to express our sincere thanks for the offer of Miss Vaughan's desk for the The Hall 150 years archive exhibition. We are honoured to be able to showcase the desk, as I know many Hallites visit it whenever they are in Monkstown. Thank you and also for the photos which we received for the The Hall class of 50 years reunion which took place recently. The class was delighted to see the photos of their old school buildings etc. They had a wonderful evening in Belgrave Square. ‘

We continue our prayers in the parish for all who are unwell and the recently bereaved. We remember also those who are in hospital currently and those who are recovering at home from serious illness. Our hearts go out to all who are in need of our continued prayers and support and we pray that you may have a real sense of the love that surrounds you.

The parish office is open and Liz is available Monday to Friday (10:00-1:00pm). She is also available by mobile should you need her. The office number is 2147714.

Thank you for your continued financial support of the parish and for remembering that our work of ministry continues week after week and year after year. We appreciate your generous and supportive giving. There is a collection at every service in the church. Donations to parish funds may also be posted by cheque made payable to ‘Monkstown Parish Church’ and posted to me here at Winton Lodge if you do not have access to online banking.

Please continue to take care of yourselves,
with love, prayers and my very best wishes, Roy

Christmas Services & Events 2023

Thursday 22 December
10:45 Christmas Eucharist in Carrick Manor
20:00 Paul Byrom carol concert

Sunday 25 December (Christmas Day)
09:00 The Eucharist
10:45 Festal Christmas Eucharist

Wednesday 28 December (Holy Innocents)
10:45 The Eucharist

Thursday 29 December
10:30 Funeral of Joyce Wood

Friday 30 December
Funeral of Peter Thornton (Mount Jerome)

Sunday 1 January (Naming & Circumcision of Jesus)
09:00 The Eucharist 10:45 The Eucharist

Del dine videoer med venner, familie og verden

Rector’s Letter for the week of 9 October 2022You Tube Link for live streaming services:https://www.youtube.com/channel/...
08/10/2022

Rector’s Letter for the week of 9 October 2022

You Tube Link for live streaming services:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw9yjPMe6ExEvlB8ycfktCg/videos?view=57

Dear parishioners and friends,
Welcome to our services of Harvest Thanksgiving this Sunday as we celebrate the beauty of creation and God’s wonderful gifts to us at both our 09:00 Eucharist and our Service of the Word for Harvest at 10:45. We are delighted to welcome Br Joseph Condren, OFM, Vicar Provincial, Irish Franciscans, Merchant's Quay who will preach at the 10:45 service. Thank you most sincerely to all who helped decorate the church so beautifully and to all who gave donations of non perishable foodstuffs to fill the hamper baskets at the nave altar steps. During the week ahead these baskets will be sorted and the contents given to Alice Leahy Trust and the Storehouse food bank, Crinken. Both of these charities, whom we support throughout the year, greatly appreciate our donations and they will be put to very good use.

Many parishioners are familiar with the diocesan magazine ‘The Church Review’. It contains news from the parishes, diocesan organizations, and features other news, letters, feature articles and advertisements. It is reckoned it is the most passed on Church of Ireland publication in circulation with people reading it and then giving it to others! The problem is that it requires actual subscribers to keep the publication afloat. If we all read it second hand, financially it will be uneconomical to produce. Please consider taking out a subscription for 2023. The cost is €40 and the magazine is usually available on the first Sunday of the month. If you would like to become a new subscriber please place your €40 in a sealed envelope, with your name and address, (if paying by cheque please make payable to Monkstown Parish Church) and place the envelope on a collection plate by the beginning of November or give it to one of the churchwardens.

The October edition of Monkstown Voice is now available – please take away a copy if you have not already done so. Once again, I would like to thank our team of delivery people who drop off the magazine to many of our parishioners. Spare copies of the magazine are always available at the back of the church - please feel free to take away copies for friends, family and neighbours. The magazine is also available in Hewetts, Spar, Attico, Cafe du Journal and Goggins.

We continue our prayers for those known to us who are sick at this time. Please feel free to add names to the sick list at the door of the church. The names will be read during the intercessions at the Wednesday morning Eucharist.

The parish office is open and Liz is available Monday to Friday (10:00-1:00pm). She is also available by mobile should you need her. The office number is 2147714.

Thank you for your continued financial support of the parish and for remembering that our work of ministry continues week after week and year after year. We appreciate your generous and supportive giving. There is a collection at every service in the church. Our bank account details are: Monkstown Parish Church No. 1 Account. Account No. 11390021. Sort Code: 98-53-30. BIC: ULSB IE 2D. IBAN: IE18 ULSB 9853 3011 3900 21. Donations to parish funds may also be posted by cheque made payable to ‘Monkstown Parish Church’ and posted to me here at Winton Lodge if you do not have access to online banking.

Please continue to take care of yourselves,
with love, prayers and my very best wishes, Roy

Del dine videoer med venner, familie og verden

Service of Thanksgiving for the Blessing of the Harvest Sunday 9 October 2022 at 10.45.We are delighted to welcome Br Jo...
08/10/2022

Service of Thanksgiving for the Blessing of the Harvest
Sunday 9 October 2022 at 10.45.
We are delighted to welcome Br Joseph Condren, OFM, Vicar Provincial, Irish Franciscans, Merchant's Quay who will preach. Thank you most sincerely to all who helped decorate the church so beautifully and to all who gave donations of non perishable foodstuffs to fill the hamper baskets at the nave altar steps. During the week ahead these baskets will be sorted and the contents given to Alice Leahy Trust and the Storehouse food bank, Crinken. Both of these charities, whom we support throughout the year, greatly appreciate our donations and they will be put to very good use.
(There will also be a celebration of the Eucharist at 09:00)
“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” Robert Louis Stevenson

22/09/2022

Dublin Welsh Male Voice Choir
Our friends in All Saint’s Church, Blackrock are preparing to welcome the Dublin Welsh Male Voice Choir who will perform on
Friday 7 October 2022 at 8pm. They will sing a varied repertoire including pop, classical and Welsh choral. Tickets €15 and further information from 086 6017 313

Rector’s Letter for the week of 25 September 2022Dear parishioners and friends,Welcome to church this Sunday morning, wh...
22/09/2022

Rector’s Letter for the week of 25 September 2022

Dear parishioners and friends,

Welcome to church this Sunday morning, when at 10:45, we celebrate our September Family Service. Family Service is a simpler and more informal approach to public worship when we particularly encourage our younger families to come and join us. Family Service is a time when we actively encourage our young children and indeed babies to worship in their own particular style and if they want to run about or make noise then they are most welcome to do so! Sometimes parents tell us that they are so apologetic that their children make a noise in church, but what about it? How can our young people get used to going to church if they are not brought and how can they feel at home in church if they do not feel welcome! Monkstown warmly welcomes all generations to come and worship with us and we do hope you will accept our invitation to join us. Following our Family Service we will have refreshments available at the back of the church so please feel free to stay and chat and get to know other families.

Members of the Select Vestry are reminded that we will meet for our September meeting on Tuesday next 27 September at 7.30pm in the church robing room.

Harvest Thanksgiving will take place on Sunday 9 October this year and will be observed at both the 09:00 and 10:45 services. This year we will take a slightly approach to our harvest decorations. We hope to have our normal floral arrangements but instead of fresh fruit and vegetables we are appealing for non perishable foodstuffs to place in hamper boxes at the steps in front of the nave altar. These empty hamper boxes will appear towards the end of September and you may place your donations of non perishable foodstuffs into them. After the harvest services these will be sorted and given to the Crinken Food Bank and Alice Leahy Trust. In former years the fruit and vegetables were given to local nursing homes but they are no longer able to accept such donations. In reality much of the donated fruit and vegetables ends up being dumped which is such a waste. Non perishable foodstuffs in the forms of tins, jars and boxed goods may not look as aesthetically pleasing as fresh fruit and vegetables but they can be put to really good use and bring such help and comfort to families in need. Please help our harvest food appeal in any way you can.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the multitude of people who helped make the parish auction in aid of the schoolhouse such a resounding success on Friday 16 September. It was a wonderful evening and there were dozens of bidders for the 280 odd lots and many joyful faces as people were successful in their bidding. Every single item was donated by our generous parishioners and friends and we particularly thank also the parishioners of St Patrick’s and the Quakers for their wonderful support. Final figures are still being tabulated but it is looking like we have made over €17,000 for the schoolhouse restoration fund. Thank you all so very much for your generous support.

The Diocesan Synod for the United Dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough takes place on Tuesday 4 October in Taney parish centre. Proceedings begin with a celebration of the Eucharist in Taney parish church at 3.30pm and the business session at 4.30pm in the parish centre. Our synods-people for Monkstown are the Rector, Valerie Duncan, Elizabeth Oldham and Denise McEvoy.

Bishops’ Appeal contributions of €910 were received during the calendar year 2021 from Monkstown parish and this figure has been noted in the annual diocesan accounts. Please note that money received towards the end of a calendar year may be carried over to the following year. In any case, we thank all those who gave a donation in 2021.

We continue our prayers for those known to us who are sick at this time. Please feel free to add names to the sick list at the door of the church. The names will be read during the intercessions at the Wednesday morning Eucharist.

The parish office is open and Liz is available Monday to Friday (10:00-1:00pm). She is also available by mobile should you need her. The office number is 2147714.

Thank you for your continued financial support of the parish and for remembering that our work of ministry continues week after week and year after year. We appreciate your generous and supportive giving. There is a collection at every service in the church. Our bank account details are: Monkstown Parish Church No. 1 Account. Account No. 11390021. Sort Code: 98-53-30. BIC: ULSB IE 2D. IBAN: IE18 ULSB 9853 3011 3900 21. Donations to parish funds may also be posted by cheque made payable to ‘Monkstown Parish Church’ and posted to me here at Winton Lodge if you do not have access to online banking.

All Saint’s Church, Blackrock
Dublin Welsh Male Voice Choir
Friday 7 October 2022 at 8pm. Singing a varied repertoire including pop, classical and Welsh choral. Tickets €15
Phone 086 6017 313

Please continue to take care of yourselves,
with love, prayers and my very best wishes, Roy

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Culture Night - Friday 23 September 2022Monkstown Parish Church, Dublin will be open to visitors from 5:00pm to 10:00pm....
22/09/2022

Culture Night - Friday 23 September 2022
Monkstown Parish Church, Dublin will be open to visitors from 5:00pm to 10:00pm. All Welcome to come along and view this historic church.

20/09/2022

Thank you to all who supported our auction last Friday night in aid of the restoration of the old schoolhouse in Monkstown. It was a fantastic evening and we greatly appreciate the support of our auctioneers, volunteers, all who helped set up the event (and who cleaned up afterwards), our donors of items to sell and those who came along on the night to bid on the items. We couldn't have done it without you all!

Our thanks to Siobhan Gaffey for this photo from last Sunday's service of blessing of the animals and working animals he...
10/09/2022

Our thanks to Siobhan Gaffey for this photo from last Sunday's service of blessing of the animals and working animals held in the church! This annual service is held in Monkstown parish Church to support the work of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Blue Cross Animal Charity. We also were delighted to welcome the Peata Charity and many visitors, parishioners and friends who joined us.

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Monkstown Village
Dublin

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