‘A bit of dry rot isn’t going to stop us’: Historic Cork church set for €1m restoration
A landmark church with links to ‘The Liberator’, Daniel O’Connell, is being allowed to “breathe” for several months as part of an ambitious €1m repair and restoration project.
Engineers and architects overseeing the complex work on St Mary’s Catholic Church and associated buildings on Pope’s Quay in Cork city plan to install two special vents in the church roof after extensive dry rot was found in its walls.
A spiral staircase to the roof will also be installed to help identify leaks and to repair and replace tiles and flashing to prevent further ingress of water and to aid ongoing maintenance.
A protected structure, the church is recognised by Cork City Council as one of the most significant and historic buildings in the city and as one of the country’s classical Catholic churches.
A campaign is now underway to raise the money to help save and secure the home of Dominican Friars in Cork since the 1830s — an order which can trace its roots in the city back to the 1200s.
Fr Maurice Colgan, the Prior of St Mary’s, said that, despite the massive costs, they want to restore the church. “The dry rot is like something out of a horror movie, but a bit of dry rot isn’t going to stop us.
“We want to see St Mary’s restored. We are committed to Cork and to St Mary’s. We are here for the long haul.
“Cork is home to our Novitiate house. It takes pride of place in the Dominican Order. It’s where we all start our journey with the order and it holds a special place in all our hearts.
“The building holds a special place in the hearts of Cork people too. It has many historic connections. Daniel O’Connell attended the consecration of St Mary’s and we still have the chair he sat on,” he said.
“The moulds that decorate the church were all carved by Irish craftsmen and were baked in the ovens of local people.”
Fundraising for restoration began in 2015 when leaks in the sacristy, the Priory, and St Martin’s Chapel were the only issue.
But as the work advanced, a confessional in the main church and an adjoining shrine wall collapsed, before structural issues compromised the safety of a second confessional. A detailed inspection revealed the full extent of the dry rot, with experts estimating that water could have been seeping into the building for at least a decade.
That triggered the larger and more expensive restoration project, which is being overseen by architect Shane de Blacam of de Blacam and Meagher Architects, and being delivered by Cumnor Construction.
St Mary’s Choir, under the musical direction of organist Sean Lehane, now hope to raise the church roof in a key fundraiser early next month.
They will host the annual Advent concert of carols, readings, and choral music, alongside the Cork Fleischmann Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of internationally renowned and critically acclaimed musician and conductor Keith Pascoe at 7.30pm on Sunday, December 9.
Tickets priced €10 are available at the Dominican Centre (021 450 3188) or from Pro Musica on Oliver Plunkett St (021 427 1659).
The Dominicans trace their roots in Cork to 1229, when they built a church on an island in the south channel of the River Lee, just outside the city walls.
By 1729, the friars were living off Shandon St, where they built a chapel known as Sand Quay Chapel, where Nano Nagle worshipped.
In 1784, the Dominicans built a priory and church on the site on which the historic Shandon Castle stood. It would be their home for the next half a century until they moved to the current location on Pope’s Quay.
The foundation stone of the present-day church, designed by architect Kearns Deane, who provided his services free of charge, was laid in 1832. The church opened in 1839, while its portico and 10m-high fluted Ionic columns atop a flight of 10 steps were erected in 1891.
A copy of the magnificent James Mahony painting, The Consecration of the Roman Catholic Church of St Mary’s, Pope’s Quay, Cork, c.1842, which shows Daniel O’Connell at the ceremony, has been presented to the church.
