High above Dublin, a landmark of the north inner city rises. That is the elegant spire of St. George’s Church. This former parish church is considered one of Francis Johnston’s finest works. It stands on Hardwicke Place, a bit north of the city center.
Let’s step back in time to 1802. Construction began on this new St. George’s Church in Drumcondra. The Church of Ireland built it for the parish of St. George established in 1793. Before this grand structure, an older St. George’s Church existed nearby on Hill Street. Sir John Eccles erected it. The Eccles family were patrons of the new church.
Originally, the site for St. George’s was to be on Whitworth Road. Luke Gardiner, 1st Viscount Mountjoy, donated the land. However, the present location was chosen because it was open fields back then. A temporary chapel was built on the Whitworth Road site. That churchyard was kept when St. George’s was completed. Later, the Whitworth Hospital took over that site.
Look closely at the portico. See the Greek inscription? It reads, “Glory to God in the Highest.” St. George’s was a free church. Pew rents were not paid here. Voluntary subscriptions kept it going.
However, trouble arose twenty-two years after construction. The wide roof started to splay. This was due to the strain of the wide-span timber trusses. Civil engineer Robert Mallet stepped in. His father owned an iron foundry in Dublin. Mallet created cast-iron trusses to pull the church back into shape.
The 1980s brought more challenges. Scaffolding went up around the spire. The Portland stone was cracking. The iron cramps holding it in place were expanding. The Church of Ireland couldn’t raise enough funds for restoration. So, in 1991, they sold St. George’s to an actor named Sean Simon. He planned to turn it into a theater.
After its deconsecration, the bells were removed. Leopold Bloom heard them in Ulysses. They now reside in Taney Parish church in Dundrum. The ornate pulpit met a different fate. It was carved up to decorate Thomas Read’s pub in Parliament Street.
The church in Temple Street transformed. It became the Temple Theatre and then a nightclub. Attempts were made to raise public funds for restoration. Dublin’s role as European City of Culture in 1991 was one such effort. The Millennium Committee also tried.
In 2004, a new purchaser appeared. They oversaw extensive restoration and renovation. St. George’s now provides office facilities.
St. George’s parish had a large population in 1813. There were 5,322 males and 7,690 females. This included both Roman Catholics and Protestants.
Revd William Bushe, an early Rector, invited Roman Catholics to discuss faith in 1823. His Wednesday evening lectures filled the church. They explored the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church.
Several notable figures were associated with St. George’s. Sir Arthur Wellesley married Catherine Pakenham in the temporary chapel in 1806. The scientist Richard Kirwan was buried in the church in 1812. George Salmon, a mathematician and theologian, was baptized here. Roger Casement’s mother, Anne, was also baptized at St. George’s.
The architect, Francis Johnston, lived nearby. He enjoyed ringing a bell in his garden’s Gothic tower. In 1828, he donated it to the new St. George’s Church. He was later buried in St. George’s churchyard.
Percy Edwin Ludgate, an Irish computer pioneer, attended St. George’s Church. Annie Hutton, fiancée of Thomas Davis, is buried in St. George’s Graveyard.
St. George’s Brass Band was founded in the church in 1936. In 1966 St. Georges merged with the parish of St. Thomas’s. In 1990 St. George’s closed.
Today, St. George’s stands as a testament to Dublin’s rich history. Its story is one of faith. It is one of architectural ambition and eventual transformation.