St Michael's Roman Catholic Church, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin (C.J. McCarthy / Sean Rothery, Pearse McKenna, Naois O'Dowd) - Buildings of Ireland

Newsletters Subscription

St Michael's Roman Catholic Church, Dun Laoghaire

Archiseek / Ireland / Buildings of Ireland / Dublin / Dun Laoghaire / St Michael's Roman Catholic Church

Architect: C.J. McCarthy / Sean Rothery, Pearse McKenna, Naois O'Dowd
Interior Access

Click Images to Enlarge

In 1968, the fine Gothic church design by Dublin City Architect C.J. MaCarthy, himself the son of leading church architect J.J. McCarthy, burned down. Rather than rebuild, it was decided to build in a modern idiom, retaining the tower and spire, one of the landmarks of the town.

The new church (designed by Sean Rothery, Pearse McKenna, and Naois O'Dowd) opened in 1973 and reflects the new thinking in the Roman Catholic Church after Vatican II. Although the exterior is clad with stone, the interior features exposed concrete and is lit by rooflights and windown just under the roofline.