St. Peter’s Parish

Gazing up at the Dublin YMCA, can you envision the grand St. Peter’s Church that once graced this very spot? St. Peter’s Parish, a cornerstone of Dublin’s religious and social life, held a rich history within its walls. The original church, St. Peter del Hille (St. Peter on the Hill), was built around 1280. It served a parish that, by the 19th century, had grown to be the largest Church of Ireland parish in Dublin. The church building itself underwent several transformations. A new structure, replacing older ruins, was completed in 1685 thanks in part to the Earl of Longford, who was developing the Aungier Street area. St. Peter’s Church was then rebuilt in Georgian style between 1750 and 1752 and later reconstructed in Gothic style in 1867. Only the nave walls of the 1685 church remained. The Reverend Walter Blake Kirwan, a renowned preacher at St. Peter’s, drew crowds and raised substantial sums for charity with his compelling sermons. Parishioners, moved by his words, would even donate jewelry and watches. The churchyard of St. Peter’s became the final resting place for many prominent figures. Among them were the Earl of Roden and his family, members of the Huguenot community, the Dunboyne family, Judge Charles Burton, Mary Anne Holmes, and the infamous Black Jack Fitzgibbon, Earl of Clare. In the 1980s, when the land was redeveloped, the remains of the Huguenots were moved to Mount Jerome Cemetery. Interestingly, some believe that Robert Emmet, the Irish nationalist, was secretly reburied in the Emmet family vault at St. Peter’s. St. Peter’s Parish also boasted notable parishioners such as the Cuffe family, Lord Arran, Lady Antrim, Lord Merrion, and Lieutenant-general Archibald Hamilton, a veteran of the Siege of Derry. Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, was baptized at St. Peter’s in 1769. The novelist Charles Robert Maturin served as curate there, and George Bernard Shaw attended the parish school. The vibrant history of St. Peter’s Parish ended in 1975 when the church closed. It was later demolished in 1983, and the site is now occupied by the Dublin YMCA. A window from the church was preserved and installed in the YMCA building, and the organ found a new home at St. Michael’s in Blackrock, County Cork. Although the physical structure is gone, the echoes of St. Peter’s Parish resonate through the stories and legacies of those who worshipped and rested within its walls.