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History | Break up of the Parishes | Churches | Priests of the Parish
Brief Parish History & Geographical Location
The parish of Our Lady of the Rosary was created in 1964 and contains the area around the Ennis Road including Ashbrook, Bracken, Revington Park, Mayorstone and Coolraine. This parish was originally part of the parish of St Munchin's. The population of the parish is around 6,000.
In Medieval Limerick, there were five parishes in Limerick City; St John's, St Mary's, St Michael's, St Munchin's and St Patrick's.
In recent times, the boundaries of these parishes have been altered to form the following parishes:
St Mary's was divided into St Mary's and St Nicholas' (1991).
St Michael's was divided into St Michael's, Our Lady of Lourdes (1963), St
Joseph's (1973) and St Saviour's (1973).
St Munchin's was divided into St Munchin's, Our Lady of the Rosary (1964),
Christ the King (1970) and Corpus Christi (1976).
St Patrick's was divided into St Patrick's, Monaleen (1971), and Our Lady
Help of Christians (1981).
St John's parish has not been altered.
St Paul's was formerly part of the parish of Mungret/Crecora and was created
in 1971.
Our Lady Queen of Peace (1961) and Holy Family (1970) were formerly part of
the parish of Donaghmore/Knockea.
Our Lady of the Rosary church is situated on the Ennis Road. It was built in 1950 as a chapel of ease to St Munchin's parish church. The builders were P. Molloy & Sons. McCormick and Corr designed the church. At the time of construction, it was decided to erect a structure, which could be built quickly, and if necessary could be dismantled and re-assembled elsewhere as the area expanded. The church was designed in a long rectangular plan measuring 115 feet by 34 feet. It was constructed with a light steel frame and external weatherboarding. The roof is made from a steel-framed inclined lattice girder, which was assembled on the ground by welding.
Bishop Dr. Patrick O'Neill opened the church in December 1950. The church was extended in 1955 and again in 1976 when a fire partially destroyed the sacristy area. Instead of timber, brick was used in the extension but to blend in with the existing building, the brick was covered over with creosoted weatherboard. Bishop Jeremiah Newman opened the new extension on April 29 1979 according to a plaque in the right porch. The architects were McMahon, McMahon & Hickey and the builders were the Lanigan Bros.
Outside the church on the tower, there is a life-size statue in white teak of Our Lady of Fatima, carved by Oisín Kelly. The timber altar originally had a large dorsal in rich folds of maroon and gold hanging from a tester at ceiling level. The sanctuary area has since been modified to accommodate stained glass windows from St Mary's Convent. The stained glass window over the high altar depicts (from left to right) the biblical story of Suffer Little Children, the Assumption and the Sacred Heart and Margaret Mary. The window of the Little Children is to the memory of Margaret Kelly and was donated by her children. The window of the Assumption is to the memory of Mary Anne & Thomas McNamara, and was erected by their son Thomas.
Margaret and Marianne Kelly donated the window of the Sacred Heart and Margaret Mary to the Sisters of Mercy in December 1885. The Sisters of Mercy in St Mary's Convent gave these windows to Our Lady of the Rosary parish in 1993. Mayer of Munich made these windows.
In 1993, the silver hanging sanctuary lamp made by Br. Benedict Tutty was removed and so far it has not been possible to trace its present whereabouts.
On the front of the high altar, there are five panels, carved by Bríd
Rynne. They are (from left to right) Abraham sacrificing the lamb, Manna from
Heaven, the Last Supper, the Wedding at Cana and the Miracle of the Loaves
and Fishes.
Behind the altar on the left, there is a statue of the Sacred Heart while on the right; there is a statue of Our Lady of the Rosary. Yvonne Jammet, a French carver who resided in Ireland, made these statues. Fr Seamus Power PP presented the Presidential Chair on the right in memory of his parents John and Lena Power.
In the right porch, there is a plaque to Christy Barry, who
was parish clerk in the church from 1952 until his death in 1998. In the main
porch, there is a plaque to Tony Doherty, who died on December 9 1963 in London.
His colleagues in BOAC at London Airport erected the plaque to his memory.
As a child, Tony had been an altar boy in the church.
There is a plaster cast of the Deposition from the Cross above the main door of the church. The original statue was originally in the Tait Gallery in London but it was later transferred to Campion Hall, a Jesuit house in the UK. The sculptor of the piece was Andrew O'Connor. On the left wall of the church, there are five paintings by Fr Jack Hanlon. The paintings depict (from the back of the church) St Patrick, Pope Pius X, the Holy Family, St Brigid and St Oliver Plunkett.
Thomas Quinn made the baptismal font, which was designed by Liam McCormick. There is a depiction of John the evangelist by Oisín Kelly on this. The symbol of John the evangelist is a phoenix. Beside the baptistery font, there is a triptych stained glass window, which has the Baptism of Christ made by Evie Hone as its centerpiece. The other panels, made by John and Roisín Murphy, depict the Nativity and the Resurrection.
To the right of the altar, there is a picture of the Immaculate Conception.
The tabernacle is also situated to the right of the altar. The copper silver
plated tabernacle was made by Br. Benedict Tutty of Glenstal Abbey. The cast
decorative motif, which includes a ruby, has also been attributed to Oisin
Kelly.
There is a chapel at the top of the church for choirs. A stained
glass window of the Eucharist is at the front of this chapel. The craftsmen
of Oberammergau who performed the Passion Play of 1950 carved the Stations
of the Cross. The stations are in this choir chapel.
On the right of the church, there are six stained glass windows.
They depict (from the back of the church) the Resurrection, the Finding of
Jesus in the Temple, the Holy Family, the Adoration of the Magi, the Betrothal
of Mary and Joseph and the Annunciation. The Abbey Stained Glass Company in
Dublin made these windows. They were erected in the church in 1979.
At the back of the church on the left, there is a statue of St Anne by Eamonn Costello while on the right, there is a statue of the Madonna and Child by Limerick man James Clancy. The vase beside the statue was part of the original furnishings of the church.
In the past, a late 16th century Spanish crucifix was over the high altar but now it is in the sacristy of the church. John Hunt Senior gave this crucifix to the church. Two carved figures, by Imogen Stuart, depicting the Annunciation hung on either side of the north entrance to the church. However, during renovations, these figures were taken down and misplaced.
The church of Our Lady of the Rosary and its contents occupy
a significant place in the history of Irish ecclesiastical art. The Shell
Guide to Ireland of 1967 rates the church as "one of the more significant
recent contributions to Irish Ecclesiastical Architecture and Art". The
building is also a listed heritage building in the City Development Plan of
Limerick Corporation.
Kilrush church ruin is located on the North Circular Road in a housing estate
opposite Barrington's pier. The area around the church was disturbed during
the building of the housing estate. A steel frame has been put in place to
support the west wall. The west door has inclined jambs and a large lintel.
The east window has an unusual circular head and splay arch. The stone window
frame in the south wall dates from the 15th century. It was taken from the
old Franciscan Abbey in St Mary's Lane. Robert Vere O'Brien erected this window
in Kilrush church in 1900. This window is sometimes called the Quinlivan window.
During excavations, approximately 40 bodies were found buried beneath the Quinlivan window. It is believed that these bodies were buried here in the 16th or 17th centuries. The site is reputed to have been a children's burial ground.
| Year | Parish Priest | Curate(s) |
| 1965 | William O’Grady | John Browne |
| Michael Neville | ||
| 1966 | William O’Grady | John Browne |
| Michael Neville | ||
| 1967 | Canon William O’Grady | John Browne |
| Michael Neville | ||
| 1968 | Canon William O’Grady | John Browne |
| Michael Neville | ||
| 1969 | Canon William O’Grady | John Browne |
| Michael Neville | ||
| James Galvin | ||
| 1970 | Canon William O’Grady | John Browne |
| Michael Neville | ||
| James Galvin | ||
| 1971 | Canon William O’Grady | Michael Neville |
| James Galvin | ||
| 1972 | Canon William O’Grady | Michael Neville |
| James Galvin | ||
| 1973 | Canon William O’Grady | Michael Neville |
| James Galvin | ||
| 1974 | Canon William O’Grady | Michael Neville |
| James Galvin | ||
| 1975 | Canon Michael Tynan | Michael Neville |
| James Galvin | ||
| 1976 | Canon Michael Tynan | Edwin Irwin |
| James Galvin | ||
| 1977 | Canon Michael Tynan | James Galvin |
| John Daly | ||
| Edwin Irwin | ||
| 1978 | Canon Michael Tynan | James Galvin |
| John Daly | ||
| Edwin Irwin | ||
| 1979 | Canon Michael Tynan | James Galvin |
| John Daly | ||
| Edwin Irwin | ||
| 1980 | Canon Michael Tynan | John Daly |
| Edwin Irwin | ||
| Liam Kelly | ||
| 1981 | Canon Michael Tynan | John Daly |
| Edwin Irwin | ||
| Liam Kelly | ||
| 1982 | Canon Michael Tynan | John Daly |
| Edwin Irwin | ||
| Liam Kelly | ||
| 1983 | Canon Michael Tynan | John Daly |
| Edwin Irwin | ||
| Liam Kelly | ||
| 1984 | Mgr. Michael Tynan | John Daly |
| Edwin Irwin | ||
| Liam Kelly | ||
| 1985 | Mgr. Michael Tynan | John Daly |
| Edwin Irwin | ||
| Liam Kelly | ||
| 1986 | Mgr. Michael Tynan | Edwin Irwin |
| John Daly | ||
| Gerard McNamara | ||
| 1987 | Mgr. Michael Tynan | Edwin Irwin |
| John Daly | ||
| Gerard McNamara | ||
| 1988 | Mgr. Michael Tynan | Edwin Irwin |
| John Daly | ||
| Denis Mullane | ||
| 1989 | Mgr. Michael Tynan | Edwin Irwin |
| John Daly | ||
| Denis Mullane | ||
| 1990 | Mgr. Michael Tynan | Edwin Irwin |
| John Daly | ||
| Denis Mullane | ||
| 1991 | Mgr. Michael Tynan | Edwin Irwin |
| John Daly | ||
| Denis Mullane | ||
| 1992 | Mgr. Michael Tynan | Edwin Irwin |
| John Daly | ||
| Denis Mullane | ||
| 1993 | Mgr. Michael Tynan | Edwin Irwin |
| John Daly | ||
| Denis Mullane | ||
| 1994 | Seamus Power | John Daly |
| Denis Mullane | ||
| 1995 | Seamus Power | John Daly |
| Denis Mullane | ||
| 1996 | Seamus Power | John Daly |
| Leo McDonnell | ||
| 1997 | Seamus Power | John Daly |
| Kevin McCarthy | ||
| 1998 | Seamus Power | John Daly |
| David O’Connor | ||
| 1999 | Seamus Power | David O’Connor |
| Joseph Shire | ||
| 2000 | Seamus Power | Joseph Shire |
| 2001 | Seamus Power | Joseph Shire |
| 2002 | Seamus Power | Joseph Shire |
| 2003 | Seamus Power | Joseph Shire |
| 2004 | Seamus Power | Joseph Shire |
| 2005 | Seamus Power | Thomas Ryan |
| 2006 | Seamus Power | Thomas J. Ryan |
| 2007 | William Walsh | Thomas J. Ryan |
| Seamus Power |
The list of Priests from 1704 to 1836 is compiled from information gained
in Begley's History of the Diocese of Limerick Vol. III page 598. The remaining
years are compiled from the Catholic Directories. Information contained in
a directory of any given year refers to what happened the previous year. For example
if a priest is recorded in the 1954 directory as being in a particular parish,
this would mean that he was actually there in 1953.
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