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TARQUIN BLAKE HAS a fascination with old Irish buildings – specifically if they’re abandoned.
The photographer and historian has spent the last two years working on his latest book Abandoned Churches of Ireland, having previously compiled books about abandoned mansions and haunted buildings.
Blake said his interest in abandoned churches was sparked after repeatedly noticing “half-ruined spires sticking out from behind trees and hedges”.
“I investigated them and thought they were worth exploring,” he recalls.
When he began his research, Blake discovered all of the churches were Protestant.
Under the 1801 Act of Union, the Church of Ireland was united with the Church of England. Following this about £1 million (€100 million in today’s money) was spent building over 700 Protestant churches, mostly on sites of centuries-old religious significance.
In most cases the activities carried out in various churches was not very extensive. For example, Kilkishen Church in County Clare in its active life of about 150 years performed a grand total of 20 marriages, 40 baptisms and 22 burials.
The Church of Ireland was the established church and Protestantism the official religion here. However, most of the population remained Catholic. As Protestant congregations declined in the 19th and 20th centuries an attempt was made to keep churches open by uniting parishes.
Eventually non-existent congregations forced the closure of many churches. Valuables were removed, and churches deconsecrated and abandoned.
Blake notes that the church “fought for years trying to keep these places open”, but “stayed on in the business of saving souls, not buildings”.
According to the 2011 census, there are 3.86 million Catholics in the Republic of Ireland (84.16% of the population) and 129,039 members of the Church of Ireland (2.81% of the population).
The result of Blake’s two-year labour of love is fascinating insight into the history of religion in Ireland that showcases an amazing array of derelict gothic ruins.
“The surprising thing is that they’re still very accessible to the public, that’s why I’ve included the GPS co-ordinates. They’re great places to go and visit,” Blake tells us.
Blake says the book was “easy to photograph” but “very hard to research” given the fact there was so little written information about the churches. Many of the buildings only had a lifespan of 100-150 years and most of their records were destroyed.
Through his research, Blake discovered some interesting tales about the buildings, such as:
Rathronan Church, County Tipperary
On 2 July 1854, 18-year-old Eleanor Arbuthnot was nearly abducted by 43-year-old John Carden, whose marriage proposals she had repeatedly turned down. Eventually Carden was beaten off by Eleanor’s companions and other onlookers.
When he was later arrested, he had two bottles of chloroform and a bottle of valerian in his possession – evidence he planned to drug the young woman. It was also discovered he had organised relay teams of horses along the way to Galway where he had chartered a boat to take her off to sea.
St John’s Church, Ballymoe, Galway
A curious case was described in the 1838 book Dialogues of Prophecy, in which the niece of the Catholic Bishop of Elphin, Mary Anne Burke, had attended some lectures given by Reverend Welden at Ballymoe Church and intended to convert to the Protestant faith.
Fr O’Connor and some of Mary’s relatives locked her up in a room with the shutters nailed closed to exclude light for a period of four weeks, and then starved her for two days in an attempt to force her to attend Catholic mass. Instead Mary fled to Castlerea where she was put under the protection of the Royal Irish Constabulary.
Lackagh Church, Kildare
On the outside of the east wall of the church a commemorative plaque hangs to remember the grim events of 1655 when all the Irish people of the parish were seized by the government under suspicion of being involved in the murder of two soldiers.
Conor Birne, Teige Horan, James Beacon and Tirleach Dunn were sentenced to death and hanged from a tree near the church. Some 38 others, including a number of priests, were deported as slaves to Barbados.
Derralossory Church, County Wicklow
The graveyard that surrounds the church contains the grave of the fourth President of Ireland, Erskine Hamilton Childers, who died in 1974.
Abandoned Churches of Ireland is published by Collins Press and is available now.
More of Blake’s work can be found on his Facebook page or the Abandoned Ireland website.
All images used courtesy of Tarquin Blake.
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That organ in Redcastle won’t be there tomorrow.
Thats right boss
LOL IGT…I actually did laugh out loud! +1
Travelers are very superstitious
You will never see a grave yard car park down the country with barriers.
The organ will remain untouched.
As person who worked in restoration all over Ireland I can tell you that nothing is sacred when money is involved.
Pronssias there is 24 hours in a day. 60 mins in an hour and 60 seconds in in a minute.
60 – 60 = 0 + 24 – 24 (the number of seconds it takes a traveller to rob a church organ) = 0 as in zero chance the organ will be there come the morning.
I said I would give the numbers a break here….
Go to Politics.ie I am in overdrive on a thread about the Popes visit to America. To me the Pope is just an ordinary man dressed up in a religious costume.
http://www.politics.ie/forum/foreign-affairs/27824-pope-really-welcome-america.html
No. Travellers just rob the homes of people whilst they are AT church.
Your right. They rob the houses of people whilst they attend church instead!
Not a religious man but churches do have the ability to instil a sence of peace and tranquillity in me
You should consider Heroin. It’s a less harmful alternative.
All churches should be abandoned this man made nonsense is
The root and cause of all evil.
You took the words right out of my mouth.
Heaven can wait.
Bat out of hell.
Such original comments on journal. Did you guys just come up with that yourselves?
richard fennessy …That day is fast approaching.
and it will come with the “chip”.in hand…
…. “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name”. Revelation 13 17
The Bolsheviks in the USSR had the same line of thought.
Ever hear of the Holodomor? Gulags? Anything like that?
@lurach, just because someone dislikes religion, doesn’t meant they can’t admire the beautiful architecture of religious buildings. Destroying them for the sake of any ideology is just wrong, but unfortunately it’s being done in any religion and ideology
Indeed Larissa……are we not appalled at the destruction of historical sites in the Middle East at the moment because of a backward religion that has no room for any other.
Look closer to home man is the source of all evil look at Jesus teaching and point out to me what evil he preached.
A lot of those that criticize Christianity were brought up with the Roman Church and threw the bath water out with the baby. Christianity and Roman Catholicism are two opposite poles of a magnet. I am ex Catholic. The numbers and Anagrams expose everything about the Catholic Church.
Did you know that one of the contenders for the Papal candidacy in 2013 was Tarcisio Bertone?
Tarcisio is an anagram of Iscariot (letter for letter)
His full name is: “Cardinal Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone”
a full anagram word for word . “an iscariot iscariot reprobate one devil”
“Christianity and Roman Catholicism are two opposite poles of a magnet.”
In much the same way as Al-Qaeda and Isis are.
Does anyone seriously think religion won’t outlive us all? It’s part of the human condition at this stage.
We can look much closer to home than the Middle East to see the destruction of ancient heritage sites. In Co Waterford a ring fort, over 5,000 years old, is being cleared to make way for a pharmaceutical plant. Ah sure it’ll give employment to 150 people so that’s alright so, to hell with our heritage :(
http://www.thejournal.ie/waterford-knockhouse-ring-fort-west-pharmaceutical-2228226-Jul2015/
@Rand Al Thor: There’s no evidence that “Jesus” even existed.
Even you guys would pray to “God” if you or a family member were in serious trouble or on their death bed. Faith is in the eye of the beholder.
Late repentance is seldom true but true repentance is never too late.
It always makes me sad to see our abandoned Churches around the Country, that once were enjoyed by the community.
Buildings rich and solid in style and structure, designed to last, unlike our present day building-blocks.
Excellent article and ill give the Numbers a break :)
i have an interest in the history of old churches and especially some of the symbols in the stained glass windows. I question the stone pyramid in the grounds of the Ennis Church of Ireland .
I saw the Kilkishen church pre-refurbishment in 2012, they did a fantastic job on restoration.
I like articles like this , very interesting read .I
I wonder would the church be willing to sell these buildings, they would make Amazing homes
Some have been deconsecrated and sold. They are now used as homes, restaurants, even pubs.
Probably have orders on them to protect them at the same time they are falling apart?
All I can think about when I look at churches is how many of these f’ing buildings were constructed during the famine. Parishioners starving to death and they throw up expensive buildings and have the nerve to shun people in the community who took soup of the church of Ireland.
Do you think that while helping homeless people on the street? Do you give the starving a meal in your house and a bed for the night? I’m guessing you don’t and are just another armchair preacher and complete hypocrite.
Most of the CoI churches were built either before the Act of Union or very shortly afterwards. You seem to be confusing this with the massive building project the Roman Catholic Church undertook in Ireland during the Famine years. And this was not intended as a famine relief effort either.
Did you know that St James St church In Dublin(next door to Guinness) is the only church in catholic church in Dublin without a spire. Such was the poverty and starvation during the famine even the parish decided that it would be a sin to waste money finishing the church and so they diverted the money to feed the starving people of the area. It remains flat and capped with copper. There is a head carving of Daniel O Connell in stone on the left of the main door and some bishop on the right….Danial O Connell officiated at the opening of St James St Church which was built to replace a small wooden church that stood where the ‘Bank Of Ireland’ now stands in James St.
The original 17th century carved life size crucifix from the old church now hangs to right of the alter in St James St Church after being discovered under rubble at the base of the belfry….. I know because many years ago I discovered it and restored it and hung it in it’s new place……not bad for atheist. ;)
Did you know that the church where Arthur Guinness was married is now a pub? Seems fitting.
Wolfe Tone was also baptised there, amongst others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary%27s_Church,_Mary_Street,_Dublin
I never knew that Al Ca , very interesting, fair play to ya !
@Al Ca. I read that that church has no spire because it was removed in 1948, having been built in 1859(after the famine) !
The one previous to that was built in 1707 but collapsed in 1761 and was restored(was that wooden or was the new one wooden?). I can only guess that that church collapsed too otherwise why the need to build the present one.
Would love to know more if you have references.
Hi Missyb211,
The church you are thinking about is the ‘Church Of Ireland’ one that was built in 1859 and yes it’s spire was removed in 1948. The church I’m referring to is the catholic one across the road from the one you are talking about which never had a spire built. It’s is positioned before the Church Of Ireland one on the left as you drive toward St James Hospital.
Here’s a photo….
http://www.frg.ie/wp-content/uploads/St._James_Church_James_Street.jpg
Ah I see. Two St James’ on St James street . “Fr John Smyth completed the church in 1852 but without the planned clock tower and spire.” and you’re saying that’s because they diverted that money to the poor after the famine? Interesting. Both churches completed around the same time is interesting too. I wonder did the same builders work on both. :)
Always fancied living in a Church.
Probably coz I spend so much time in Churches.
You can buy one fairly cheap actually. Probably need a bit of refurbishment though.
I’ve been a fan of Tarquin’s work for several years now.
I’m looking forward to this latest addition to his work as I have similar interests myself.
Put the refugees in them – God loves everyone.
Nice article. I’ve been in one down in St Kevs in Cork and was sweet.
I drive a lot around the country for work and am always passing these abandoned C of I churches. Very photogenic they are, I was wondering when someone would write a book about them
These buildings have been deconsecrated for many years so religion is not the issue. Some however are of very fine architectural quality and deserve to be preserved as buildings and part of Ireland’s heritage. As neither parishioners’ nor taxpayers’ money is likely to be available for most, alternative uses must be considered where possible. Some may just need to be made safe as ruins so the fine stonework can be admired without the need for expensive upkeep.
his name is Feckin tarquin ffs
Thank god that religious crap is dying out in Ireland!
Good to see churches being abandoned.
May stone the devil
my favourite kind of church :)
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