OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY CHURCH – ACCESS VIA ENNIS ROAD OR NORTH CIRCULAR ROAD LIMERICK
This session did not go well the camera had overheated after about eight hours constant usage and I had problems with lens flare.
I photographed this location just before sunset and could not decide if the building was painted black or dark brown. Having viewed the 2017 photographs I have concluded that it was black back then. Also, I had a look using Google Maps and it had a purple tint and the images were not great.
I first came across this church by accident in 2017 and never had to opportunity to revisit until April 2022.
At first sight I would not have expected this to be a Roman Catholic church but immediately I discovered that it was named Our Lady Of The Rosary there was no doubt.
The second half of the twentieth century saw a break with the historicist approach to church architecture in Ireland. Our Lady of the Rosary’s design is a good example of such a break with tradition, with a bold use of materials that contrasts and yet maintains an Italianate inspired design. The church was designed by Frank Corr and Liam McCormick and the builders were P. Molloy & Sons. Its was innovative in the use of materials as it was decided in 1950 to erect a structure that could be built quickly and, if necessary, dismantled and re-erected to fit in with the shape of the expanding population in the parish. This church and its contents occupy a significant place in the history of Irish ecclesiastical art.
EXPLORING A SMALL SECTION OF ENNIS ROAD – IT’S A LONG WAY TO ENNIS
I had two reasons for visiting Ennis Road. The first was to photography Our Lady Of The Rosary which is a unique freestanding single-cell timber clad Roman Catholic church, built in 1951, facing east with belfry to northeast. The second reason was to photograph Ardhu Lodge only to discover that it no longer exists. I walked from the city centre to The Gaelic Grounds known, for sponsorship reasons as the TUS Gaelic Grounds, which I did not photograph as my spare battery was not charged [I picked up the wrong one] and the two in the camera grip were exhausted as was I.
I had planned to visit Ennis but the train schedule did not suit me.
The name Ennis comes from the Irish word “Inis”, meaning “island”. This name relates to an island formed between two courses of the River Fergus on which the Franciscan Friary was built. The history of Ennis is closely associated with the O’Brien dynasty, who were descendants of Brian Boru. In the 12th century, the O’Briens, who were Kings of Thomond, left their seat of power in Limerick and built a royal residence at Clonroad on what was then an island. In 1240, King Donnchadh O’Brien ordered the construction of an extensive church which he later donated to the Franciscans. In the centuries that followed there was great activity. The Friary was expanded and students came in great flocks to study at the theological college. The Friars, who were free to move about, met the spiritual needs of the local population. It was a religious centre until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
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