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St Agatha's, North William Street

North William StreetLate Baroque classical facade (NIAH); described elsewhere as neo-classical

This church is still ahead. Its chapter will be written when its visit comes.

§What is known
Built
1908 · W.H. Byrne & Son
Style
Late Baroque classical facade (NIAH); described elsewhere as neo-classical
Dedication
St Agatha's

Mass times

Sunday
11:30 AM
Saturday
11:00 AM (Weekday Mass) · 5:30 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM (Weekday Mass)
Friday
11:00 AM (Weekday Mass)
Holy Days
11:00 AM (Holy Day Mass)
§Where
Address
North William Street, Dublin 1
Open route ↗ Official website ↗ Return to the map

No photographs yet — the essay appears only after the visit.

§Notes

Fragments gathered while researching this church: stories, curiosities, people and dates.

A thirty year building project

Work began in 1878 and the church was only blessed in 1908. The heritage appraisal links the protracted construction to the constricted back street site, and still judges the finished building a successful classical church.

Timeline

  • 1865
    Parish constituted The parish of North William Street was constituted in 1865 from St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Marlborough Street.
  • 1878
    Construction begun According to the NIAH appraisal, the church designed by W.H. Byrne was begun in 1878.
  • 1880
    Foundation stone laid Archiseek records that the foundation stone was laid on Sunday 25 April 1880.
  • 1908
    Church completed and blessed The completed church was blessed on Sunday 25 October 1908 by William Joseph Walsh, Archbishop of Dublin.
  • 1941
    North Strand bombing affects the parish German bombs fell on the North Strand on 31 May 1941, killing 28 people and destroying about 300 homes in the area around the parish.
  • 2021
    80th anniversary Mass for the North Strand bombing St Agatha's parish held a commemorative Mass for the 80th anniversary of the bombing. Fr Brendan Kealy told The Irish Catholic that every day in the parish is a day of remembrance for those who died.

People

  • William Henry Byrne (1844-1917) Architect of the church — Dublin architect known for Catholic church work, trained under J.J. McCarthy and later in partnership with his son as W.H. Byrne & Son. The NIAH and Archiseek credit him with the design of St Agatha's.
  • William Joseph Walsh (1841-1921) Archbishop of Dublin who blessed the church in 1908 — Archbishop Walsh blessed the completed church on 25 October 1908.
  • D.O. Inglis Stained glass — The NIAH record attributes stained glass lancets in the church to D.O. Inglis.
  • Charles Goodland Bradshaw Stations of the Cross — The NIAH record attributes the Stations of the Cross to Charles Goodland Bradshaw.