Chapel

The National Monuments Service's description

Townsend Street R.C. chapel in the parish of St. Andrew's is marked on Rocque's 1756 map of Dublin City which shows a large building marked with a cross located to the S of Poolbeg Street and accessed off the W side of Georges Street. The Irish Builder of June 15, 1894, recorded that the Roman Catholic Chapel, known as Townsend Street chapel was built on a portion of the old Fleet Market. According to Donnelly (1904, 34); 'in 1709, the Catholic Parish of St. Andrew was created, and the Rev. Patrick Doyle appointed its first Parish Priest. Our manuscript gives a fair account of the first Chapel. It was an old stable at the back of Lord Ely's house in Hawkins Street, repaired and fitted up by the P.P. and his energetic assistant, Dr. Walter Skelton, who for a time acted as tutor to the Venerable Charles O'Conor of Balinagare. Father Doyle died about 1733, and was succeeded by one of the most distinguished Priests that ever flourished in the Diocese. This was Dr. Richard Reynolds, for two years tutor to the young Pretender, Prince Charles Edward. He died in 1781, and the mural tablet to his memory may still be studied in the passage leading into the south transept of St. Andrew's, Westland Row; but during his half century administration of this Parish he left a monument of his zeal behind him, in the spacious old chapel in Townsend Street, which, about 1750, replaced the Hawkins Street stable. Describing this stable chapel The London and Dublin Gentleman's Magazine for January 1750, informs us that "a great storm blew down a tall chimney stack at the rere of Hawkin's Street, breaking through the roof of an old stable where Mass was going on, killing several of the congregation and wounding many others". The Townsend Street Chapel is still well remembered by some of out oldest inhabitants, and some of its relics are still preserved. The valuable painting of the Descent from the Cross over the high altar of St. Andrew's, Westland Row, occupied the same position in St. Andrew's, Townsend Street, and the Communion rails that surrounded the Altar in the latter Church, continue to serve the same sacred purpose in the Parish Church of Sandyford. The administrator before Dr. Blake's translation had already collected nearly £6,000 towards a new Church, and had commenced the building on the old site in Townsend Street, but it was thought advisable to move to a more central position, and a desirable site having been secured in Westland Row, the first stone of the existing Church of St. Andrew was laid on the 30th of April, 1832'. In 1821 the chapel was described as; 'It stands behind the houses on the north side of Townsend-street, within a few yards of the principal entrance to the New Theatre. In front of the chapel, and concealing it from the street, is a handsome house erected for the residence of the priest and his assistant curates, six in number. This chapel, which is large and well disposed, although without any architectural beauties, was not long since in one of the filthiest and most wretched situations in the city, but from the opening of D'Olier and New Brunswick streets, it is now in a most convenient and central one' (Wright 1821, 92). Archaeological excavations in 2019 by Franc Myles of Archaeology and Built Heritage Ltd. at the site of Apollo House (demolished 2018) revealed the stone walls of the 18th-century R.C. church.

Donnelly, N. 1904 Roman Catholics: state and condition of Roman Catholic chapels in Dublin, both secular and regular AD 1749. Dublin.

Burke, N.T. 1974 A hidden church. The structure of Catholic Dublin in the mid-eighteenth century. Archivium Hibernicum, xxxii, 81–92.

See attached section of Rocque's 1756 Map of Dublin City which shows the large chapel marked with a cross standing on the N side of Lazar's Hill now Townsend Streert and to the W of Georges Street.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 3 July 2023

References

Rocque, J. 1760 An Actual Survey of the County of Dublin, on the same Scale, as those of Middlesex, Oxford, Berks and Buckinghamshire. Available at http://sdublincoco.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e0c5595b033341dea7661e248d2e9ee9// [Accessed 21 September 2016]

Rocque, J. 1756 An exact survey of the city and suburbs of Dublin. Available at https://libguides.ucd.ie/findingmaps/mapshistDublin Accessed on 5 January .

Wright, G.N. 1821 A guide to Dublin. Dublin.