The foundation stone for St. Brigid’s Church was laid on 13th October 1835 and the first Mass was celebrated there on 29th October 1837. The construction of the Church, tower and spire was finally completed in 1863. The spire, which is 189 feet high, is of a distinctive and unusual design, said to be Flemish – similar type spires can be found on the continent.
Due to a sharp rise in population, the size of the Church became inadequate for the needs of the Parish. However, rather than build a new Church it was decided to retain the old Church but to add on a modern extension. This extension is designed so that it can be closed off from the main Church and it is used for meetings, school concerts etc. Its vibrant stained glass window was designed by Phyllis Burke and installed in 1978. The central panel of the window depicts a story told about St. Brigid; legend has it that the King of Leinster told Brigid that he would give her as much land as her cloak would cover. Brigid spread her cloak on the ground and it spread until it covered the entire hillside. The first Mass was celebrated there at midnight on December 24th 1977.
The Church of the Sacred Heart, Arbour Hill, Dublin 7 was given the title “Church of the Defence Forces” in 1997, with the closure of Collins Barracks, which is located directly across the road from the Church.
Historically the location is of major significance, since in the grounds of Arbour Hill Church are buried the remains of the leaders who died in the Easter Rising of 1916.
The Church of the Sacred Heart forms part of a tripartite façade – known as Arbour Hill Prison. The church is linked to the main entrance of the prison by screen walls, which extend to the Governor’s House on the far side. This complex of buildings was designed by Jacob Owen in 1835 and later rebuilt by Joshua Webb in 1845. Work on the buildings was completed in 1848.
The church has an elaborate cruciform interior and a stained glass window by the Harry Clarke Studios behind the altar. It has an unusual entrance porch with stairs leading to twin galleries for visitors at the nave and transept. This feature is copied from the National Scotch Church, Bow St, London designed by Robert Wallace.
Another interesting architectural feature is the Celtic round tower which erupts from a rectangular base.
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