Dublin City Parishes in the 1830s

QUICK-FIND: DUBLIN CITY CIVIL PARISHES

The Metropolitan parishes (Church of Ireland) are all in the diocese of Dublin:

• St. Andrew's was formerly united to St. Werburgh's, but the union having been dissolved in 1660, it was by act of parliament erected into a separate parish, and in 1707 the present parish of St. Mark was by another act formed out of it. It contains 7870 inhabitants : the number of houses valued at £5 and upwards is 731, the total annual value being £46,022. The rectory, the annual income of which is £346. 8. 3?., forms the corps of the precentorship of St. Patrick's cathedral : the vicarage is in the gift of the Lord-Chancellor, the Archbishop of Dublin, the three Chief Judges, and the Master of the Rolls ; the amount of minister's money is £529. 15. 1. The church, situated in St. Andrew's-street, opposite Church-lane, was commenced in 1793, and completed in 1807, at an expense of £22,000. It is of elliptical form, 80 feet by 60, whence it has acquired the popular name of the Round Church : over the principal entrance, which is at the extremity of the lesser axis of the ellipsis, is a statue of St. Andrew bearing his cross ; and at the opposite end is the communion table, reading desk, pulpit, and organ loft, with galleries for children on each side of it. The parochial school for boys and girls is supported by an annual sermon and the rent of the lands of Phrompstown. An almshouse for 28 widows, founded in 1726 by Dr. Travers, is supported by the weekly collections in the church.
• St. Anne's parish was formed out of the united parishes of St. Stephen, St. Peter, and St. Bride, and made a separate parish in 1707. It contains 8363 inhabitants ; the number of houses valued at £5 and upwards is 785, the total annual value being £56,812. 10. The living is a vicarage, in the patronage of the Archbishop of Dublin ; the amount of minister's money is £588. 18. 5. The church, situated in Dawson-street, opposite Anne-street, was designed from a church in Rome, but remains unfinished ; the front consists of a portal with Doric half columns and smaller side entrances surmounted by ornamented windows, above which the gable of the building is seen. The interior is spacious and handsome ; the galleries, which surround it on three sides, are supported by Ionic pillars of carved oak : it was thoroughly repaired in 1835, towards which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners granted #736. 5. 6. There is a parochial school for boys, who are clothed, fed, educated, and apprenticed ; also one for girls, an infants' school, and the model school of the Kildare-place Society. An almshouse for widows is supported by the Sunday collections. The remains of the celebrated authoress, Mrs. Hemans, were deposited in the vault beneath the church in 1835. Judge Downes was also buried in this church.
• St. Audeon's, or Owen's, was originally a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and enlarged by the family of Fitz-Eustace of Portlester ; afterwards it was given as a parish church to the priory of Grace Dieu by John Comyn ; but in 1467 it was made a prebend with cure of souls in the cathedral of St. Patrick, by Archbishop Tregury, The parish contains 4599 inhabitants, and 426 houses valued at £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £19,399. The rectory or prebend is of the annual value of £243. 1. 4., and the minister's money amounts to £220. 12. 11. The present church consists only of the western end of the ancient edifice, which comprised a nave and collateral aisle, at the end of which is a modern steeple with a ring of bells ; the rest of it is now in ruins. The eastern extremity still presents a fine specimen of the pointed style, and there are many curious old monuments, among which is one of Lord Portlester and his lady, erected in 1455 : it is the burial-place of several ancient families. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £162. 0. 11. for the repairs of this church. There is a parochial school for boys, who are clothed, partly dieted, and apprenticed ; also a school for girls, who are partly clothed ; an infants' school, a Sunday school, and a female orphan school.
• St. Bridget's or St. Bride's parish was formed out of those of St. Bride, St. Stephen, and St. Michael de la Pole, and after having belonged to Christ-Church was annexed to St. Patrick's in 1186. It contains 12,543 inhabitants ; the number of houses valued at #5 and upwards is 732, and the total annual value is £23,377. 10. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of St. Patrick's ; the minister's money amounts to #286. 4. 1., and the gross income is £405. 13. 10. The church, a very plain building, situated in the street to which it gives name, was erected in 1684 : it was repaired in 1827 at an expense of between £300 and £400, by parish assessment ; and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have since granted £158. 5. 9. for its further repair. Among the monuments are those of Mr and Mrs Pleasants, distinguished for their munificent charitable donations and bequests. The Episcopal chapel of the Molyneux Asylum, in Peter-street, is in this parish. There is a parochial boarding school for boys, a parochial day school, a boarding school for orphans, a day and an infants' school, and a Sunday school. The school in Stephen-street is supported by the interest of a legacy of #3900 from Ralph Macklin, Esq. Two almshouses for 20 widows and 12 old men are maintained by a bequest of Mr Pleasants; and several large legacies have been bequeathed to the parish. There is a chalybeate spa near the church.
• St. Catherine's anciently formed part of the parish of St. James, but was separated from it by an act of parliament in 1710. It contains 23,237 inhabitants, and 1264 houses of the value of £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £31,921. The living is a vicarage, in the patronage of the Earl of Meath; the minister's money amounts to £395. 3. 10. The church, which had been a chapel to St. Thomas the Martyr, was rebuilt in its present form in 1769: it is situated on the south side of Thomas-street, and is built of mountain granite, in the Doric style: four semi-columns, with their entablature, enriched by triglyphs, support a noble pediment in the centre, and on each side the entablature is continued the entire length, and supported at each extremity by coupled pilasters: above the entablature, at each side of the pediment, is a stone balustrade. Between the centre columns is a handsome Ionic arched door, and the other intermediate spaces are occupied by a double range of windows. The interior is elegantly simple: eight Ionic columns support the galleries, above which the same number of Corinthian pilasters rise to the roof. At the west end of the building is an unfinished belfry. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £126 for its repair. In the interior is a tablet to the memory of Dr Whitelaw, the historian of Dublin, who was 25 years vicar of this parish, and died in 1813; and another to that of William Mylne, engineer, who constructed the waterworks of Dublin: underneath is the family vault of the Earl of Meath. A free Episcopal church has been opened in Swift's-alley, in a building purchased from the Baptist society in 1835, and consecrated by the archbishop: it is under the management of eight trustees, one-half of whom must be clergymen of the Established Church. Another is in progress at Harold Cross, in this parish. There are a parochial boarding school for girls, a parochial day school for boys and girls, a school on Erasmus Smith's foundation, three national schools, an evening school, an infants' school, and two Sunday schools. There are two almshouses for widows, one supported by the parish and the other by a member of the La Touche family.
• St. George's parish originally formed part of that of St. Mary, and though not strictly within the liberties of the city, it has been included in the new electorial boundary under the Reform act. It contains 14,692 inhabitants, and 1261 houses valued at £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £63,900. The living is a rectory, in the alternate patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Christ-Church and the representatives of the late Lord Blessington; the minister's money amounts to £628. 5. 9., and the gross income is £800. The church, erected in 1802 in Hardwicke-place, after a design by F. Johnston, and at an expense of £90,000, presents a front consisting of a central projecting portico of four fluted Doric columns resting on an elevated platform supporting a bold entablature (the frieze and cornice of which are carried entirely round the building) surmounted by a triangular pediment over which rises the steeple of four ornamented stories, terminating in a light and graceful spire tapering to a height of 200 feet from the ground. The interior is fitted up in a chaste and elegant style, and a projecting building at the east end contains the vestry-room and parish school. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £1512. 12. 5. for its repair. There are three other Episcopal places of worship : St. George's chapel, commonly called Little St. George's, in Lower Temple-street, was founded by an endowment, by Archbishop King, of £49 per ann., out of two houses in Great Britain-street, the property of Sir John Eccles, to support a lecturer ; it consists of a plain building with a square tower, surrounded by a cemetery, and is a donative, in the gift of A. Eccles, Esq. The free church in Great Charles-street was originally a Methodist place of worship, and was purchased, about 1 S26, for its present purpose, and consecrated by the Archbishop of Dublin, in whom the appointment of the minister is vested ; it is a plain neat structure. The Episcopal chapel of the female penitentiary, on the north circular road, is the third. There are three parochial schools, a boarding school for girls, a day school for both sexes, and an infants' school, also a day school for both sexes endowed with a bequest by Miss Kellett.
• Grangegorman parish, situated partly within the new electoral boundary, north of the city, and partly in the county of Dublin, was formed out of those parts of the parishes of St. Michan, St. Paul, and St. George, which were in the manor of Grangegorman. It contains 7382 inhabitants, and 472 houses valued at £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £6102. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Prebendaries and Vicars choral of the cathedral of Christ-Church, The church was erected by a grant from the Board of First Fruits, in 1830. Within the parish are the House of Industry, the Richmond Penitentiary, the Lunatic Asylum for the district of Dublin, and the female orphan school, to the last-named of which an Episcopal chapel is attached. There are two day schools for both sexes, one of which is attached to the House of Industry, a female orphan school, and a day and infants' school, connected with the R. C. chapel. The total number of pupils in the day schools is 493.
• St. James's parish contains 13,197 inhabitants, and 625 houses valued at #5 and upwards, the total annual value being £13,176. The living is a vicarage, in the patronage of the Earl of Meath ; the minister's money amounts to £109. 1. 4. The church is a low and very plain building ; owing to the small accommodation it affords to the numerous parishioners, it is the intention of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to erect a new one. The cemetery is very large and situated on the north side of a hill sloping down towards the river. The episcopal chapels of the Royal and Foundling Hospitals are in this parish ; and there is a chapel of ease at Golden-Bridge, chiefly for the use of Richmond barracks. There are parochial schools for boys and girls, three national schools, and an infants' school.
• St. John's parish contains 4351 inhabitants, and 291 houses valued at £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £9846. 10. It was erected into a prebend with cure of souls in the cathedral of Christ-Church. in 1554, and is in the gift of the Dean and Chapter; the minister's money amounts to £118. 9. 3., and the gross income of the prebendary is £398.2. 8. The church, situated at the corner of John's-lane, was rebuilt in 1773: it presents to Fishamble-street a neat front adorned with four Doric columns supporting a pediment, and approached by a broad flight of steps: in this front is the chief entrance to the body of the church and one to each of the galleries. In 1836 it underwent a thorough repair, for which a grant of £879. 9. 7. was wade by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. There are parochial schools for boys and girls, two national schools for boys and girls, a Sunday school, and an evening school for adult males.
• St. Luke's parish contains 6605 inhabitants, and 337 houses valued at £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £7654. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, and in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Christ-Church ; the minister's money is £92. 7. 8., and the gross income £171. 17. 4. The church, erected in 1708, when the parish, which had been a part of that of St. Nicholas, was formed, is approached by an avenue of trees from the Coombe, and is a plain structure entered by a large doorway between rusticated columns: it was re-roofed in 1835 by a grant of £1029. 13. 6. from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. There are parochial schools for boys and girls, in which some of the children are clothed and some dieted; also an infants' school and a national school, all supported by charity sermons and some small bequests.
• St. Mark's parish was severed from that of St. Andrew by act of parliament in 1707 : it contains 14,811 inhabitants, and 1076 houses valued at #5 and upwards, the total annual value being £38,592. The living is a vicarage, in the joint patronage of the Lord-Chancellor, the Archbishop of Dublin, the three Chief Judges, and the Master of the Rolls ; the minister's money is £330. 3. 3. The church is situated in Mark-street, adjacent to Brunswick-street : it was built in 1729, and is a large building perfectly plain ; the interior is very neat and commodious. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £165. 13. 5. for repairing it. The Mariners' church, built in Forbes-street in 1832, and the Episcopal chapel belonging to the marine school, are in this parish ; as locally is Trinity College, which is extra-parochial. There are parochial, day, and female schools, one on the foundation of Erasmus Smith, the marine school for sailors' orphans, a female orphan school, and an infants' school.
• St Mary's, originally part of St. Michan's parish, and separated from it in 1697, contains 25,305 inhabitants, and 2018 houses valued at £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £91,895. The living is a rectory, in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Christ-Church : the minister's money amounts to £974. 16. 6., and the gross income is £1127. The church is a large building, in Stafford-street, possessing little architectural beauty. Its chief entrance is a large gate with Ionic columns on each side, surmounted by a square belfry. In the interior are many monumental tablets, among the more remarkable of which is one to the memory of Edw. Tennison, Bishop of Ossory; one to that of Dr. Robt. Law ; one to that of Mr. Win. Watson, founder of the Society for Discountenancing Vice ; and one lately erected to the Hon. T. B. Vandeleur, third justice of the King's Bench, Ireland. In the crowded cemetery are the tombs of Dr. Marlay, Bishop of Waterford, and uncle to the late Henry Grattan ; Mrs. Mercer, the foundress of Mercer's Hospital ; and Mr. Simpson, the founder of Simpson's Hospital. The Board of First Fruits, in 1831, granted a loan of £1615 for the repair of the church, and in 1836 the Ecclesiastical Commissioners granted £205. 3. 11. for the same purpose. St. Mary's chapel of ease, built on a plot of ground in Mountjoy-street, presented to the parish by the Earl of Mountjoy, is a very elegant specimen of the modern Gothic, from a design of Mr. Semple ; it has a light tapering spire surrounded by minarets of similar shape. It was opened in 1830 as a free church, and has lately received a grant of £445. 13. 0. for its repair from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The Episcopal chapel of the Lying-in Hospital and the Bethesda Episcopal chapel are in this parish ; the latter was erected in 1786, at the sole expense of Wm. Smyth, Esq., nephew of the Archbishop of that name : he appointed two clergymen to officiate, and, in 1787, annexed to it an asylum for female orphans, in which about 24 children are entirely supported. A penitentiary adjoins it, which was opened in 1794 for the reception of females discharged from the Lock Hospital. Here are parochial schools for boys and girls, who are totally provided for; a free school for both sexes, an infants' school, and schools for boys and girls in connection with the Scots' Church. A female almshouse in Denmark-street was founded by Tristram Fostrick, Esq., in 1789. Mrs. Mary Damer, in 1753, bequeathed £1765, and Richard Cave, Esq., in 1830, £1600 to the parish for charitable uses.
• St Michael's parish was created a prebend with cure of souls in Christ Church cathedral, in 1554, by Archbishop Browne : it contains 2288 inhabitants, and 112 houses valued at #5 and upwards, the total annual value being £3670. The rectory or prebend is in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Christ-Church ; the minister's money amounts to #50. 5. 11., and the gross income is £250. 8. The church stands at the corner of Michael's-hill and High-street, and is a small building in the pointed style of architecture. The tower, which is without a spire, is ancient and of large dimensions, very disproportionate to the small structure of which it now forms the vestibule. There is a parochial school ; 20 of the children are clothed.
• St. Michan's parish was also erected into a prebend of Christ-Church, with cure of souls, by Archbishop Browne, in 1554, and comprehended the whole of Dublin north of the Liffey until 1697, when the parishes of St. Mary and St. Paul were severed from it. It contains 23,918 inhabitants, and 1464 houses valued at £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £43,568. 10. The prebend is in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Christ-Church ; the minister's money is £488. 15. 7., and the gross income, £719. 7. 6. The church, situated in Church-street, is one of the oldest in the city, being supposed to have been founded by the Ostmen previously to the erection of Christ-Church, and to have been originally the cathedral church of the diocese. It is a very spacious cruciform structure, with a square tower, erected at a comparatively modern period, although the whole has an appearance of great antiquity. It was re-roofed and thoroughly repaired in 1828, at a cost of about £1500, defrayed by parish cess, since which time the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £230. 19. 1. for its further repair. On one side of the communion table is an ancient figure of a bishop or an abbot; there is also a monumental tablet to the memory of the celebrated Dr Lucas. There are a parochial school for girls, a day school for girls, and an infants' school, four-day schools for boys, and two for girls, and a Sunday school.
• St. Nicholas Within included also the parishes of St. Nicholas Without and St. Luke until 1707, when they were formed into separate parishes. It contains 1845 inhabitants, and 103 houses valued at #5 and upwards, the total annual value being £3929. 10. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of St. Patrick's ; the minister's money is £3. 0. 7., and the gross income £125. The church, an unsightly edifice, situated in Nicholas-street, has been taken down and is to be rebuilt under the directions of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, till which time divine service is performed in the school-room. There is a lectureship attached to it, which is maintained by the rent of lands in the county of Louth. There is a parochial school for 12 boys, who are clothed, educated, and apprenticed : it is supported by the rent of two houses, amounting to £36 per annum, and an annual charity sermon.
• St. Nicholas Without, formed into a parish in 1707, contains 12,391 inhabitants, and 871 houses valued at £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £226. 8,10. 1 The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of St. Patrick's ; the minister's money is £207. 12. 6., and the gross income £264. 10. The church, which was dedicated to St. Myra, and occupied the north transept of St. Patrick's cathedral, having fallen into decay, has been restored, and still forms part of that building. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £432. 7. 7. for its repair. There are parochial schools for boys, girls, and infants, and two Sunday schools.
• St. Paul's, which, previously to the year 1697, formed part of St. Michan's parish, contains 10,570 inhabitants, and 786 houses valued at £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £21,632. The living is a rectory, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Christ-Church ; the minister's money is £255. 4. 1., and the gross income £386. 9. 4. The church, situated in North King-street, was rebuilt in 1824, and is now a neat edifice in the Gothic style, with a small but elegant spire. The cemetery is the usual place of interment for the garrison of Dublin: it contains a monument to the memory of Lieut.-Col. Lyde Brown, of the 21st Fusileers; a mural tablet to that of three privates of the same regiment, who were killed in the insurrection of 1803; and a mausoleum for the family of Col. Ormsby. The chapel of the King's or Blue-coat Hospital is in this parish. There are parochial schools for boys and girls, an infants' school, and a Sunday school. The late Lord Netterville bequeathed £9000 to this and the adjoining parish of St. Michan for a dispensary and hospital, which is also supported by subscription.
• St Peter's parish, erected by order of council in 1680, is the largest in the city, comprising the ancient parishes of St. Peter and St. Kevin, and a portion of that of St. Stephen: it contains 27,176 inhabitants, and 2260 houses valued at £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £124,865. 10. It is a vicarage, united to the rectories of Tawney, Rathfarnham, Donnybrook, and district of Booterstown, together forming the corps of the archdeaconry of Dublin, in the patronage of the Archbishop; the minister's money is £1086. 15. 4., and the gross annual income is £2768, out of which there are 12 curates to be paid. The church, situated in Aungier-street, is a very large unornamented building, in the form of the letter T: the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £735. 0. 6. for its repair. In the attached cemetery are interred the remains of many persons of rank; those of the celebrated John Fitzgibbon, Earl of Clare, lie here under a plain tombstone; Maturin, the poet, who was curate of the parish, is also buried here. There are within its limits three chapels of ease, one in Kevin-street, one in Upper Mount-street, Merrion-square, and a third at Rathmines; and within the parish are Sandford Episcopal chapel at Cullenswood, and an Episcopal chapel in Upper Baggot-street. The church or chapel of St. Kevin is a plain edifice, in the form of the letter T, situated to the south of Kevin-street; it appears to have been erected on the site of an ancient chapel dedicated to St. Kevin. The chapel in Upper Mount-street, dedicated to St. Stephen, is an elegant structure. The portico is of the Ionic order; over the pediment rises the belfry tower, of octangular form, covered with a cupola, the apex of which is 100 feet high. The Episcopal church in Upper Baggot-street, with a female penitentiary attached, was erected in 1835 by subscription, at a cost of upwards of £6000 : the exterior is plain, but the interior is exceedingly handsome ; it will accommodate 1200, and has from 300 to 400 free seats : the appointment of the chaplain is in nine trustees. The Episcopal chapel of the Magdalen Asylum, in Leeson-street, is also in this parish. There are parochial schools for boys, girls, and infants ; schools at Sandford chapel for boys, girls, and infants ; a Methodist female orphan school ; St. Stephen's male and female day school in Mount-street ; Bride-street parochial female school ; day schools at Hatch-street and Cuff-lane ; two in Whitefriar-street ; two at Rathmines and Miltown ; two other infants' schools and five Sunday schools. There is also a parochial dispensary, and a loan fund established in 1813.
• St Thomas's parish was separated from St. Mary's, in 1749, by act of parliament : it contains 20,881 inhabitants, and 1373 houses valued at £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £65,537. 10. The living is a rectory, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Christ-Church; the minister's money is #684. 12. 1., and the gross income £922. 1. 10. The church, erected in 1758, presents a front to Marlborough-street, opposite to Gloucester-street, composed of two pilasters and two three-quarter columns of the Composite order, supporting an entablature and enclosing ornamented niches, and, in the centre, a Corinthian doorway, with an angular pediment: on each side of this facade is a half-pediment, supported by a Corinthian pilaster at the extremity, and a half-pilaster in the return : an intended pediment over the centre has not been erected. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £915. 17. 9. for the improvement of the building. The Episcopal chapel of the Feinaglian institution at Luxemburgh, for the use of the pupils, but open also to their friends, is in this parish. A parochial school for girls is supported by a bequest of #75. 1. 3. per ann. and voluntary contributions ; there are also a day school for boys and girls, a national school, and a Sunday school. The buildings of the Board of National Education and a savings' bank are in this parish.
• St Werburgh's parish contains 3384 inhabitants, and 214 houses valued at £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £11,602. 10. It is a rectory, united to the rectory of Finglass and the chapelries of St. Margaret and Ward, together forming the corps of the chancellorship of the cathedral of St. Patrick, in the gift of the Archbishop; the minister's money is £200. 2., and the gross income £680. The church was erected in 1759. The front is composed of a basement story ornamented with six Ionic pilasters with an entablature, and a grand entrance of the same order. The second story, which is diminished, is adorned with four Corinthian pilasters, coupled, enclosing a large window, and supporting a pediment, above which rises a square tower of Composite architecture, terminating with urns placed at the angles. An elegant spire which formerly surmounted the whole was taken down in 1810, on account of its dangerous state; and, for the same reason, the entire tower was taken down in 1835. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £1140. 16. 11. for the restoration of the tower and the general repairs of the building. The Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, attends here to qualify on his coming into office, the castle of Dublin being situated in the parish. The east window of stained glass is considered the handsomest in Dublin and cost about £600: the subject is the Presentation. In the interior are several neat monuments, and on the exterior, in the wall of the church, are some very ancient sculptured figures, evidently belonging to an older building. In the vaults are deposited the remains of Sir James Ware, the antiquary, Lord Edward Fitzgerald, and Edwin, the actor. The vice-regal chapel, Dublin Castle, is within the precincts of this parish. There is a parochial boarding school for girls, and parochial day schools for boys and girls, a day school for girls, and a Sunday school. James Southwell, Esq., in 1729, bequeathed £1250, the interest to be applied for various purposes: he also bequeathed £380 for a ring of bells and a fund to place boys in the Blue-coat school.

ROMAN CATHOLIC PAROCHIAL DISTRICTS, PLACES OF WORSHIP, CONVENTS, AND CHARITIES CONNECTED THEREWITH

The city is divided into nine R. C. parishes or ecclesiastical districts:

• St Mary's 
• St Michan's,
• St Paul's,
• St. Andrew's,
• St Audoen's,
• St Catherine's 
• St James',
• St Michael's & John's, and
• St. Nicholas' 

– the first three are on the north side of the Liffey. The ecclesiastical duties are executed by nine parochial priests and 52 other officiating clergymen.

The RC parish of St. Mary is the mensal of the Archbishop, and comprises the Protestant parish of St Thomas, and the principal parts of those of St Mary and St George: the parochial duties are performed by the Archbishop, seven officiating clergymen, and one assistant.

• The chapel, a spacious and magnificent building, commenced in 1815 and not yet completed, is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and is usually styled the Church of the Conception. The front to Marlborough-street will, when finished, consist of a portico of six fluted Doric columns, supporting an entablature ornamented with triglyphs, and surmounted by a pediment. The interior is divided into a nave and side aisles by two splendid colonnades; the west end forms a circular termination, under which is the principal altar of white marble, detached from the walls and enclosed by a circular railing; in the centre of each aisle is a quadrangular recess. The total expense of completing the structure is estimated at £50,000.

Besides the above, there are the chapel of St. Francis Xavier, Upper Gardiner-street; a chapel belonging to the Dominican friary, Denmark-street; and a chapel belonging to the convent of Carmelite nuns, North William-street.

• The chapel of St. Francis Xavier is attended by the priest of the order of "Jesuits," established here in 1817: the inmates consist of a superior and five priests, who have a classical school in Hardwicke-street. The building is cruciform and of the ancient Ionic order, with a lofty portico in the centre ; and at each side are receding wings forming vestibules, crowned with domes supported by columns of the Ionic order; the interior is highly decorated, and the organ, which is considered to be one of the finest in Ireland, was built for the great musical festival at Westminster.
• The chapel in Denmark-street, dedicated to St. Dominic, belongs to the order of Dominicans, consisting of a prior and five friars; in connection with this is St. Patrick's Juvenile Society.
• The chapel in North William-street belongs to the convent of the order of Carmelites: the inmates consist of a superioress and a sisterhood of 15. The chapel is a neat building, in the later style of English architecture; a school, in which 20 girls are educated, clothed, and wholly provided for, is attached to the institution.
• The Sisters of Charity have an establishment in Upper Gardiner-street, consisting of a superioress and a sisterhood of 14, who superintend the education of 200 girls.
• The principal establishment of the Christian Doctrine Confraternity, consisting of a director and two assistants, is in North Richmond-street, where they support a model school for the novices for the other houses of the society; they also instruct 550 children in the parochial chapel and 130 in Denmark-street, every Sunday. The confraternity instruct children in all the other parochial and in most of the friary chapels: the total number of children under their tuition amounts to 5987 males and 3942 females.
• There are two national schools, one in Gloucester-place, and the other in King's Inns-street;
• an almshouse in North William-street for twenty-three widows, which is supported by subscription;
• and the Metropolitan Orphan Society, in which 99 children are supported, chiefly by penny weekly subscriptions of the working classes.
• The Asylum for Female Penitents, founded in 1833, affords shelter to 30 inmates; another in Mecklenburgh-street, founded in the same year, supports 35; a third in Dominick-street supports 34, and there is another in Marlborough-street; in all of them the penitents are employed in needlework, washing, and similar useful occupations.

St. Michan's RC parish comprises parts of the Protestant parishes of St Mary, St George, St Michan, St Paul, and Glasnevin. The duty is performed by a parish priest and six officiating clergymen.

• The chapel in North Anne-street is a splendid edifice, built entirely of granite; it is in the later English style, with three finely arched entrances in the front, which terminate above in a sharply pointed gable, embattled and surmounted with a cross; the interior is richly ornamented with sculpture, and the ceiling is elaborately groined, the intersecting arches springing from heads of saints finely sculptured; the altar is embellished with paintings of the Virgin and Child, and of St. Francis, copied from Guido.
• There is another chapel on George's-hill, belonging to the convent of the Presentation order, the inmates of which, consisting of a superioress and ten sisters, superintend a school, at which about 300 female children are instructed, 50 of whom are clothed, and from 16 to 20 are also boarded. The institution is chiefly supported by the profits of the work done by the children. The chapel, which is exceedingly neat, is open every morning. There is a day boys' school of about 300 pupils; also an establishment for 12 orphans who are totally provided for and when of a proper age apprenticed; the institution is supported by subscriptions.
• The Orphan Society of St. Vincent a Paulo (St Vincent de Paul) was founded in 1826, in which 40 orphan children are wholly provided for, and 45 by the Society for Destitute Orphans under the tutelage of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount-Carmel.
• The Society of St. John the Evangelist, for promoting the exercise of spiritual and corporal works of mercy, is in North King-street, and has a good library in connection with it.
• In Paradise-row is the Josephian Orphan Society, in which 36 orphans are totally provided for;
• and in the same street is the House of Reception for aged females, containing 18 inmates.

St. Paul's RC parish comprises the Protestant parish of Grangegorman, the principal part of St Pauls, and parts of St Michan's and Glasnevin. The duty is performed by a parish priest and six officiating clergymen.

• The chapel on Arran-quay having been found to be too small, another, near the entrance of the old building, is now completed with the exception of the portico and steeple: the interior is richly ornamented; behind the altar is a painting in fresco, on which the light is thrown after the manner of the "lumiere mysterieuse" in some of the churches of Paris, The whole cost of the erection of the building will be about £10,000, which will be wholly defrayed by voluntary subscription.
• There is a chapel of ease at Phibsborough, a neat Gothic structure, but too small for the increasing congregation: beneath are male and female free school-rooms, and apartments for an orphan society, and over the sacristy a residence for the clergyman and a lending library belonging to a branch society of St. John the Evangelist.
• The chapel of St. Francis, in Church-street, belongs to the friary of the Capuchins, the community of which consists of a guardian and six friars. The chapel is a large plain building; the altars are adorned with paintings of the Crucifixion, the Virgin and Child, and St. Francis: a free school for boys is connected with it. There is a school in Queen-street, in which about 250 boys and 150 girls are instructed; also a national boys' and girls' school connected with the chapel at Phibsborough.
• The convent of the Sisters of Charity, in Stanhope-street, consists of a local superioress and a sisterhood of twenty, who support a house of refuge, in which 50 industrious young women of good character are sheltered; the institution derives much of its support from the work executed by the inmates.
• St. Stephen's Cholera Orphan Society was first established in 1828, as a general orphan institution, but in 1830, owing to the ravages of the cholera, it assumed its present name and character.

St. Andrew's RC parish comprises nearly the whole of the Protestant parishes of St. Andrew, St. Mark, and St Anne, and part of that of St Peter. The duty is performed by a parish priest and seven officiating clergymen.

• The chapel, in Westland-row, was commenced in 1832, and finished in 1837: its form is that of a Roman cross; the length being 160 feet, the transept 150, the breadth and height 50 each. The walls of the interior are in compartments formed by Grecian Doric pilasters. The great altar consists of four pillars of scagliola, supporting a pediment copied from the Lantern of Demosthenes at Athens. The tabernacle is in imitation of the triumphal arch of Titus in Rome, and is surmounted by a group in white Italian marble, by Hogan, representing the Ascension; on each side of the great altar are smaller altars of Egyptian marble; several good paintings have lately been brought from Rome, and hung up over and at the sides of the altar. The portico in front consists of two pillars and four pilasters in the Grecian Doric style, prolonged at each end by a parochial house, thus presenting a facade of 160 feet in length. The cost of erection, which is defrayed by subscription, amounted to £18,000.
• In Clarendon-street is the chapel of St. Teresa, belonging to the order of the Discalced Carmelites, the inmates of which consist of a provincial, a prior, and six friars. It is a spacious building of plain exterior : in front of the altar is a fine statue of a Dead Christ in Italian marble, by Hogan. Attached to the convent is an almshouse for widows, and the Society of St. Joseph, for promoting the exercise of spiritual and corporal works of mercy. There is a parochial school attended by upwards of 3100 female children : it is in connection with the National Board of Education.

Within the parish there are the following religious institutions;

• the House of Mercy, Baggot-street, the inmates of which consist of a superioress and a sisterhood of 15, who maintain a day school of about 300 children, visit the sick poor, and receive under their protection distressed women of good character; their house is a plain large building of three stories.
• In Stephen's-green East is St. Vincent's Hospital, containing 60 beds, and a dispensary, founded by the sisters of charity: a superioress and sisterhood of six preside over it.
• The Asylum for Female Penitents, in Townsend-street, is superintended by a superioress and a sisterhood of three, and affords shelter and the means of reformation to 41 penitents.
• The Andrean Orphans' Friend Society was revived in 1832, and supports 28 children by weekly penny subscriptions; the Orphan Society of St. John of the Cross is supported in like manner.

St Audoen's, the smallest R. C. parish in the city, comprises the whole of the Protestant parish of the same name.

• The chapel, situated off Bridge-street, is in bad repair and too small for the congregation; a considerable sum has been already subscribed towards its re-erection.
• There is a male and female school in which 20 of each sex are clothed; also the Malachian Orphan Society for destitute children.
• John Power, Esq., in 1835, erected in Cook-street a building for 24 aged and destitute widows, at an expense of about £700; it is supported by subscriptions and an annual charity sermon.

St Catherine's RC Parish comprises nearly the whole of the Protestant parish of the same name. The duty is performed by a parish priest and seven officiating clergymen.

• The chapel was erected in Meath-street, in 1780: it is a very spacious octagon building of brick, with a gallery along with five of its sides, the altar being in the centre of the other three. Near it is a school, erected in 1823 by subscription, and attended by upwards of 400 children of each sex: there are also Sunday schools.
• A chapel in John's-lane belongs to the Augustinian friary of St. John; the inmates consist of a prior and four friars. The chapel, a spacious structure, occupies part of the site of the priory of St. John the Baptist, which was founded in the year 1188 by A. Du Palmer; and in connection with it is a female orphan school, also an asylum for old and destitute men, in Rainsford-street. To this convent belonged the Rev. Wm. Gahan, author of many pious works.

St James's RC parish comprises nearly the whole of the Protestant parish of the same name. The duty is performed by a parish priest, who is also chaplain to the county gaol of Kilmainham, and by four officiating clergymen.

• The chapel, which is situated at James-gate, is about to be taken down and a new building erected.
• There is a chapel at Dolphin's Barn for the accommodation of that populous district;
• and also a nunnery of the Carmelite order, consisting of a superioress and a sisterhood of 16, established in 1834, in the same neighbourhood, attached to which is a free school for girls.
• There is a National school for boys and girls;
• also St. James' and St. Joseph's Orphan Society, which maintains 50 children.
• The Catholic cemetery, Golden-Bridge, described under that head, is in this parish.

St. Michael's and St. John's RC parish comprises the Protestant parishes of St Michael, St. John, St. Nicholas Within, and St Werburgh, and parts of those of St Peter, St. Andrew, and St Bride. The duty is performed by a parish priest and five officiating clergymen.

• The chapel, situated in Exchange-street and erected in 1815, has two fronts of hewn stone in the later English style: the exterior is of elegant design, and in the interior, which is richly embellished, are three altars; over each respectively are paintings of the Crucifixion, of St. John the Evangelist by Del Frate, and of St. Michael trampling on Satan, a copy from Guido; its fine organ, made by Lawless, cost £800. It contains a handsome monument to Dr Betagh, a celebrated preacher, who died in 1811, and another to the Rev. Dr Anglen; at one end are six confessionals of elegant design and beautiful workmanship. The chapel was erected between 1813 and 1816, at a cost of nearly £10,000, which was defrayed by subscription. Attached to it is a house for the residence of the clergymen, containing 20 spacious apartments with a corridor to each story; the cost of its erection was about £2000, and it was completed in the short space of two months and eight days.
• A chapel in Whitefriar-street belongs to the order of Calced Carmelites; the inmates are a provincial, a prior, and six friars, whose residence is in an adjoining house in Aungier-street. The chapel has its front to Whitefriar-street: the interior presents a beautiful architectural view; the right side has a range of large windows, and the left is ornamented with corresponding niches, filled with statues of eminent saints; the ceiling is coved and divided into rectangular compartments; its erection cost £4000. It stands on the site of a Carmelite church founded in 1274, upon land granted by Sir Robert Bagot. The remains of St. Valentinus, martyr, have been translated from Rome by order of Pope Gregory XVI., and are deposited in this chapel in a suitable vase.
• Another, which is a cruciform structure, situated on Merchants'-quay, belongs to the order of Franciscans; the inmates are a prior and six friars. It is dedicated to St. Francis of Assisium, but is more generally known by the name of Adam and Eve, from an ancient chapel of that name on the site of which the present building was erected. When finished it will exhibit the ceiling divided into enriched panels; the interior ornamented with pilasters, supporting an enriched cornice of granite, over which the windows are placed; there are three elegant and commodious galleries, capable of holding 1500 persons; the altar will be constructed in the most florid style of Corinthian architecture: an Ionic portico is to front the river. In Smock-alley are parochial schools for both sexes, in connection with the National Board of Education, at which 600 children attend; also an evening and Sunday school, and two orphan schools, one for boys and the other for girls, 20 of each, who are wholly provided for and apprenticed; all these are supported by subscription, a grant from the National Board, an annual sermon, and the profits of an annual bazaar. A society was founded in Smock-alley in 1817, called "The Society of St. John the Evangelist," for administering to the spiritual and temporal wants of the sick, and for the suppressing abuses at wakes; a library is in connection with it. Near Tullow is the establishment of the Orphan Society of St. Francis of Assisium, founded in 1817, in which 24 children are supported. St. Peter's, St. Patrick's, St. Bonaventure's, and the county and city Cholera Orphan Societies are all in this parish; they are chiefly supported by subscriptions and sermons; as is also the Catholic Society for Ireland, for the gratuitous distribution of religious books, established in 1836.

The RC parish of St. Nicholas comprises the Protestant parishes of St. Nicholas Without, the city part of St. Nicholas Within, St. Luke, St. Kevin, the entire of the Liberties of Christ-Church and St Patrick, and parts of the parishes of St Peter and St Bride. The duty is performed by a parish priest and six officiating clergymen.

• The chapel is built on the site of a Franciscan friary, erected in 1235 on a piece of ground granted by Ralph le Porter. It has a square tower, ornamented on each face with coupled Corinthian pilasters and terminating with a figure of Faith. The interior is exquisitely finished: the great altar, which is of Italian marble, was executed at Rome; over it is a group representing a "Dead Christ on the lap of Mary," by Hogan, and two relievos, "The Last Supper" and" The Marriage of Joseph and Mary," from Raphael. A monastery of the order of the Religious Brothers of the Christian Schools, in Mills-street, consists of a superior and two monks, who superintend a free school for boys. There is also a national school for boys, in which 450 are educated and 50 of them clothed; and an Orphan Institution.
• A convent of the order of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Harcourt-street, commonly called the Loretto convent, consists of a local superioress and a sisterhood of three, who educate about 40 girls.

PROTESTANT DISSENTERS

There are four Presbyterian meeting-houses, situated respectively in Capel-street, Ushers-quay, Eustace-street, and Great Strand-street, all of the first-class. The two former maintain the doctrines of the church of Scotland, and the two latter are Unitarian.

• Each congregation supports a school and maintains the poor of their own persuasion.
• That in Capel-street is possessed of a legacy called "Campbell's fund," being the interest of £500, which is distributed among four blind men; and another of the same amount, called Fenner's funds, for the relief of six widows.
• Those of Strand-street and Eustace-street have each a respectable collection of books for the use of the ministers and congregation, to which others can have access on very liberal terms.
• Dr John Leland, author of several theological works, was one of the ministers of the Eustace-street congregation for 50 years.

There are three congregations of Independents, whose places of worship are in D'Olier-street, York-street, and King's Inns-street, the last-named of which has a theological institution, or college, the object of which is to afford the means of theological instruction, according to the tenets of the Westminster and Savoy articles of faith and the doctrinal articles of the Church of England, to such young men as appear to have a call to the sacred ministry; and connected with York-street chapel are a day and Sunday school, a Dorcas and Benevolent institution, and a congregational, missionary, and a city mission, association.

The Methodist congregations, the first of which was formed in 1746 by Mr Wesley himself, have their places of worship in Whitefriar-street, Abbey-street, Cork-street, Hendrick-street, South Great George's-street, and Langrishe-place; a congregation also meets in the Weavers' hall on the Coombe.

There are two Baptist congregations, one of which has a meeting-house in Lower Abbey-street, which presents a Grecian front of considerable architectural elegance; the other meets in an apartment called the Apollo Saloon, in Grafton-street.

A Moravian congregation, formed in 1750, has a meeting-house in Bishop-street; and in the same street is a residentiary-house of the same sect, in which a number of the female members live in community.

There is a church for German Lutherans in Poolbeg-street, the only one in Ireland.

The Society of Friends, or Quakers, have a meeting-house in Eustace-street, fitted up with great neatness, and another in Meath-street, also a cemetery in Cork-street.

The Jews have a synagogue in Stafford-street and a cemetery near Ballybough bridge.

SOURCE: A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis (pub 1837)

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