SHILLELAGH PARISH CHURCH SHILLELAGH CO. WICKLOW

HISTORY OF SHILLELAGH PARISH CHURCH
(Extracts from "Shillelagh - Looking Back")
by IRENE TYNER

The Parish of Shillelagh was established as a perpetual curacy on March 26th 1833, out of the following townslands in Carnew and Mullinacuffe parishes - Ballard, Ballynulta, Cronlea, Coollattin, Ballykelly, Tomnafinague, Coolboy, Hillbrook, Paulbeg and part of Croneyhorn call the Hot Pot Lane. The nomination of the curacy was to be in the hands of the Rector of Carnew. The curacy continued up to the dis-establishment of the Church of Ireland in 1870, the first Rector of the newly independent parish being Rev. Mr. H.E. Ellison, M.A. (later Dean of Ferns).

The picturesque site chosen for the church and graveyard was granted by the then Lord Fitzwilliam. The church was built in 1833-34 with a town and surmounted spire in the mixed Gothic style of hewn granite, quarried in the townsland of Lumcloon near Ballyconnell. It cost £2,500 of which £900 was a gift of the Board of First Fruits and the remainder defrayed by Earl Fitzwilliam, except for a small sum raised by the sale of a few seats. The church was later enlarged by building a chancel and two transepts in 1888.

The original was a plain oblong building, with a gallery in the west end, the full width of the church and extending out for the pews underneath, being supported on pillars. On this were the choir seats in front, with a harmonium in the centre, seats behind the choir being occupied by part of the congregation. The gallery was approached from the porch by the present winding stairs, with steps of hewn granite.

The first pulpit was a "three-decker", standing in the middle of the top of the nave, about 10 feet high, containing pulpit, prayer desk and clerk's desk, but the latter was removed, and the pulpit thus converted to a "two decker", the reading desk about 8 feet high. The whole thing was constructed like three enlarged steps of stairs, so arranged that when in the pulpit a person would be looking down into the other two, each of which extended out in front; a stairs led up to the pulpit from the back, a most peculiar arrangement.

The door at the West end was the only entrance until Lord Fitzwilliam's private door was made at the time of the building of the chancel and transepts in 1888. The church was originally flagged, as is the porch today, but a regular overhaul of the interior and the exterior was undertaken in 1871. A coke stove heated the church and did duty until 1871 when a new one was installed on the aisle, about 1/3 of the way from the door. The centre of the aisle was covered with an iron grating under which ran a flue, from the stove, to the existing chimney over the East end.

The main part of the church with tower and spire exist as originally built, except that on the top of the spire was a saucer shaped stone from which stood up a large tulip shaped ornamental cut stone, similar to those existing on the conical pillars at the sides of both entrance gates. These large stones were removed in 1888 and the "Cock" put on the spire.

Following a general vestry meeting in February 1888, the parishioners agreed to a proposal from Lord Fitzwilliam to make various alterations to the church. The three arches in the present church clearly define the old and new portions, as they are simply the openings made in the older walls, where the chancel and transepts were built.

Not a single part of the internal fabric of the original. exists in the present church, except the font. The pulpit, prayer desk and pews were taken away and disposed of by the contractor, save two from the gallery which are to be found in Shillelagh National School. On Tuesday 29th January 1889, the re-opening service took place where Bishop Packenham Walsh consecrated the additional building.

The present organ was a thank offering to Almighty God for the blessing of peace after the Great War (1914-18) and in the memory of those from the parish who offered up their lives for King and Country. The new organ was built by Telfords in July 1921 who were paid £520 plus the old organ. A generous Lord Fitzwilliam defrayed half of the cost of the organ.

In 1886 Dr. King was appointed Medical Officer of the district, where he resided until his death on New Year's day 1930. The residents of the wide area in which he worked felt that his memory should be perpetuated as he had been so well known, loved by all, and his skilful service always available, were so highly esteemed, that the suggestion was readily agreed to. All sections of the community joined in the subscription list to raise funds for the Entrance Gate. The stones of the gate were cut and built in 1932 by local labour at a cost of £182. The gateway was dedicated by Bishop Day at the Harvest Thanksgiving when there was such a large congregation that half could not get into the church.

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