St. Brigid

History

The parish's own history records a church at Killester dedicated to St Brigid in the closing years of the Celtic age and through the period of Norse settlement around Dublin. The place-name is interpreted as Cill Easra, the church of Esra, which would suggest that a person of that name built the church or gave the land for it. The chapel was appendant to the monastery at Swords until 1162, when Laurence O'Toole was elected Archbishop of Dublin and its dependency was transferred to the Priory of the Holy Trinity, Christ Church.

The building of houses on the lands of Killester in the 1920s made a new church necessary. The parish priest, Father James McCarroll, engaged Messrs Donnelly, Moore and Keatinge, architects and consulting engineers, to provide the plans, and two sites were put forward for approval in June 1924. The architect advised against the second, which narrowed as it neared the railway line.

Work began in the second half of 1924, with J.J. Flanagan of Kyle House, Drumcondra as builder. McCarroll had proposed a dedication to the Sacred Heart, and failing that to St Ita, noting that the old parish church of Killester had St Brigid as its patroness. The church was consecrated by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Edward Byrne, on 26 September 1926.

The building

The completed church was in the Florentine style, with a square pedimental bell tower.

The growth of housing in the 1940s and 1950s made it necessary to increase the length of the church. The Dublin firm of architects Robinson, Keefe and Devane was retained to plan and supervise the work, which was carried out by John Lambe, builder, of North Strand. The extension, which included a sanctuary, was blessed by Archbishop McQuaid on 27 July 1952.