Monthly Archives: October 2012

October 7th Newsletter

The latest Newsletter is available to view and download from here

Update on Church Renovations

Heritage Council Grant for Conservation Repair Works to Roof of St. Michael’s Church, Inchicore.

St. Michael’s Church is a protected structure and has special heritage significance for the following reasons;

Architectural

• It is a prominent landmark and focal point in an urban townscape.

• It was built in the 1860s and retains its architectural features dating from this time.

• The original form of the building, though it was extended in 1926 to the south, is still legible both internally and externally.

• The original fabric of the building remains largely intact.

Historical

• It was built on the site of the original garrison church built for Richmond Barracks, which were commenced in 1810.

• It was in Richmond Barracks that the court-martials of most of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising took place. The first Free State Government closed the Barracks and the church then became a chapel of ease attached to St. James’s Parish.

Artistic

• In the 1940’s the plain windows of the church were replaced by beautiful stained glass from the school of Harry Clarke. These windows remain a striking feature of the church.

Falling dampness was noted in the interior of the church adjacent to the choir loft at the abutment between the new extended part of the church and the original church. The 20th Century extension roof was connected to the original roof by way of an abutment gutter. This gutter is counter flashed under the original cast-iron gutter of the main roof. The source of the dampness occurred in an area
between the abutment valley gutter and the cast-iron gutter. The roof consists of natural quarry slates on a timber pitched roof construction.

The valley and gutter were opened up to assess the damage. Rusted and damaged sections of the valley and gutter have been repaired. Slipped slates have also been repaired The Heritage Council gave approval for a grant towards the repair of the leaking roof valley.