All Saints' Church, Raheny

All Saints' Church is the Church of Ireland Parish Church of the Parish of Raheny, prominent on the Howth Road as it approaches the centre of Raheny, Dublin, Ireland. It lies in walled grounds with mature tree cover, just south of the village core, and is widely hailed as a fine architectural specimen.

History

All Saints' was built for the Church of Ireland Parish of Raheny, to replace the historic St. Assam's Church in the centre of Raheny village.

Construction

In 1881, Arthur Edward Guinness, Lord Ardilaun, who already held certain rights in the parish, notably the right of presentation of the rector,^[1] made a proposal to construct a new church, on a site he would provide at the village end of his St. Anne's Estate, and this was agreed by the parish in 1885. Lord Arthur's father had previously agreed with the Parish to build a new church, but the plans did not come to fruition.

The new church was sponsored (to the tune of 9,000 pounds in the 1880s) by Lord Ardilaun. The church was designed by George Ashlin and built almost entirely of Irish materials. The main contractors were Messrs Collen Brothers of Dublin and Portadown, who also carried out other work for Lord Ardilaun.

The building style is described as "early English", and it has a cruciform shape. The walls are of Wicklow granite, with limestone dressings, and there is a substantial belfry, with Cumberland slates, an octagonal spire and a weathervane. There is also a small crypt, where some of the Guinness family are buried.

The shape of the building was cut out at the Raheny end of the estate, with a curtilage provided, in 1885, and building commenced shortly thereafter, and the new All Saints' Church was completed around October 1889. The Service of Dedication of the church took place on December 16, 1889 but full consecration could not take place, as the freehold of the land was not available, being held by the Howth Estate. Lord Ardilaun committed to maintaining the building on two conditions, firstly that the rites of the church be standard, and second that both the new and old (St. Assam's) churches be well-maintained.

Developments

A new organ was provided for All Saints' after a new Rector was appointed in 1918, and in 1926, a one ton bell was given in memory of Lady Ardilaun by her nephew and principal heir, Bishop Benjamin Plunket, retired Bishop of Meath. In 1938, the Bishop began steps to transfer the church to the Representative Church Body on behalf of the parish, and this was effecte on January 1, 1939, though in the absence of the freehold of the land, full consecration as parish church was still not possible. On All Saints' Day, 1939, the church's fiftieth anniversary was celebrated.

In 1945, an additional acre of ground near the church was purchased from Dublin Corporation. In 1960, the parish entered into a Union with the Parish of Coolock, which has its own historic church, St. John the Evangelist.

In 1969, the new Parochial Hall was dedicated as "Johnston Hall." At about the same time in 1969, the freehold of the land at All Saints was finally purchased from the Howth Estate, for 250 pounds, leaving the way open for full consecration.

All Saints' today

The church was finally consecrated on December 16, 1989, after a memorial service on November 1.

Adjacent to All Saints' is the Johnson Hall, for community activities, a modern Rectory, replacing the original Rectory which stood on glebe lands across the Howth Road, and a well-preserved ornamented gate lodge, for the verger.

Restoration works

Some restoration work was done on stained glass windows in the 2000s, and in April 2010, it was announced that the church required extensive roof repairs and an appeal for a quarter of a million euro was launched^[2] while a Government heritage building grant was received in early May.^[3]

Popular culture

U2 front man Bono married Alison Hewson at the church on 21 August 1982, with Adam Clayton as best man.

Notes and references

1. ↑ Historical note: prior to the construction of All Saints', the Guinness family generally attended the parish church of the Parish of Clontarf.
2. ↑ All Saints' Raheny Roof Appeal
3. ↑ Dublin, Ireland, 5 May 2010: The Northside People (East), p. 8

Sources

• raheny.com (as at 29 May 2007)
• Raheny, Dublin, Select Vestry of the Parish of Raheny: 1990, "Through Countless Ages: The Story of the Church and Parish of All Saints', and the District of Raheny" - Arthur Garrett

External links

• raheny.com