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3rd November 1841
- On 3rd November 1841, the feast of Saint Malachy, the foundation stone for Saint Malachy’s Church was laid. On 15th December 1844, Dr William Crolly, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland dedicated the building.
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On 15th December 1844, Dr William Crolly, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland dedicated the building. Originally Saint Malachy’s was intended to be the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Down and Connor and was to seat 7,000 worshippers.
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St Malachy's Church, Belfast. Coordinates: 54°35′39″N 5°55′36″W. The church at night. Saint Malachy's Church is a Catholic church in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located in Alfred Street, a short distance from Belfast City Hall, although it precedes that building by over 60 years. The church is the focal point of the local parish ...
- Background to Saint Malachy’s Church in Belfast
- Adam Mcclean
- Construction of St Malacy’S Church
- Description of Saint Malachy’s
- Saint Malachy’s Church Opening
- Saint Malachy’s Bell
- Further Artistic Works Within Saint Malachy’s
- Word War 2 Damage
- Saint Malachy’s Today
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By the end of the eighteenth century the majority of the Penal laws had been repealed. With restrictions on Catholics living in towns eased, many people moved to Belfast because of the employment opportunities on offer. The two existing Catholic Churches could no longer support their expanding congregations. In the 1830’s the Bishop of Down and Con...
Business Interests
Adam McClean was a prominent merchant in Belfast with his main premises in High Street. With his brothers Samuel and Andrew, he had a wine and spirit business in Sugarhouse Entry around 1800. He also had a successful linen drapery business and in 1831 was appointed a committee member of the White Linen Hall. In 1808 Mr McClean built a terrace of nine houses on Donegall Square South. He also designed a block of houses at 19-23 Franklin Street (1835) and three four-storey houses 7-11 Wellington...
Family Background
Adam McClean was born c1765, one of four sons. His father Robert was an inn-keeper near Shane’s Castle in County Antrim. Adam was educated at a local establishment run by Mr Henry Mulholland. The Mulholland’s were descendants of local chieftains. The Mulholland family had been entrusted with the preservation of an ancient relic – the Bell of St Patrick, Clogan an Edachta. It is said that pupil and teacher had such a bond, that on his passing Henry Mulholland bequeathed the bell to Adam McClea...
The competition to design the church was won by Thomas Jackson of Waterford. The builders were Messrs Ross and Campbell. The interior was completed by Mr Peter Lundy. Originally St Malachy’s was planned as the Catholic Cathedral of Belfast, but finances curtailed these aspirations. With the onset of the Famine money was needed to feed the starving....
St Malachy’s has been described as the finest Tudor Revival Church in Ireland. It really needs to be seen to be appreciated. The building is cruciform in shape 113ft long, 52ft wide and 40ft high. The fan vaulted ceiling is covered in a decorative white stucco pattern with circular descending features. The floor of the Church is composed of mosaics...
The Opening Ceremony
St Malachy’s Church was officially opened on 15th December 1844 by Dr William Crolly, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. The High Mass was chanted by Dr Denvir and the sermon was given by Dr Kennedy, bishop of Killaloe. Dr Laffin of Dublin acted as Deacon, with Fr McGarry as Sub-Deacon. Dr Cahill of Blackrock preached at the evening ceremony. The collection at the ceremony amassed £900. The Church cost £6,000 to construct. A very generous bequest of £3,000 by Captain Thomas Grif...
Early Controversy
One unfortunate incident of note was the condemnation of Mr John Clarke in some of the local newspapers. Mr Clarke, the Mayor of Belfast and therefore a Protestant, attended the opening ceremony. He also acted as one of the Collectors and gave a donation of £10. This earned him the approbation of some of his colleagues, he was denounced “as an open promoter of Popery, that deadly enemy of all civil and religious liberty” (Banner of Ulster). The Northern Whig, among others, disagreed and comme...
In 1845 the bell of St Malachy’s was accidentally cracked. The replacement bell and belfry were blessed by Dr Dorrian in 1868. This is the largest church bell in Belfast. Soon, however, complaints were received from the nearby Dunville Distillery. Apparently, the reverberations from the tolling bell upset the distilling process of this famous Belfa...
The Work of Padric Gregory
In 1926 the eastern wall of the Church was decorated with ‘perpendicular tracery’. This is reputed to be the work of Padric Gregory, a Belfast architect and Irish Revivalist poet. His firm Gregory and Hall founded in 1906 designed St Colmkille’s Church on the Upper Newtownards Road. Also, the Chapel for the Dominican Convent on the Falls Road and the ‘Little Flower’ Church on the Somerton Road. Among his literary works are The Ulster Folk (1912), Love Sonnets (1914) and the Coming of the Magi...
Felix Piccione & ‘Little Italy’
Also within St Malachy’s Church are three painting by the Austro-Italian artist Felix Piccione. These are – Our Lord falling under the weight of the Cross, St Malachy and Our Lady. The Piccione family lived in this area close to the docks. By 1877 Felix was an established artist with a studio at 22 Castle Place. In the 1860’s many Italian families fleeing the turmoil and persecution of Garibaldi’s forces, settled in Belfast. The district around Frederick Street, York Street and Great Patrick...
The Ragged Saint
In addition there are statues of the Sacred Heart, St Francis of Assisi, St Anthony of Padua, St Therese of Lisieux, St Philomena and St Benedict Labre. This last statue has a particular significance to the people of the parish. St Benedict, although born into a well-off French family, lived a life of poverty among the destitute. He is the patron saint of beggars, and those rejected by society due to homelessness or mental illness. Throughout Ireland St Benedict Labre is known as the ‘ragged...
During WW2, due to its city centre location, St Malachy’s Church was damaged in bombing raids. The windows and oak frames were destroyed when bombs fell on the nearby gasworks on the Ormeau Road. The frames were replaced with concrete as wood was scarce at the time. This unfortunately caused long-term problems with the structure of the building.
In the twenty-first century the Church underwent extensive restoration, reopening in 2009. The Grade A listed building is really stunning both inside and out. A few minutes walk from the bustling heart of Belfast city centre, it provides an oasis of calm and serenity. The design and beauty of this urban church really does lift the soul.
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Sep 10, 2024 · 1844 – Saint Malachy’s Church, Belfast. Architect: Thomas Jackson. Originally Saint Malachy’s was intended to be the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Down and Connor and was to seat 7,000 worshippers but in the time when the Great Famine took hold in Ireland it was decided that the funds would be better spent elsewhere to alleviate the ...
Built in the 1840s to the designs of Thomas Jackson, following an architectural competition, it has stylistically been described as ‘Tudor Revival’, ‘castellated Gothick’, and, most vividly of all, by Sir Charles Brett, as “a superb example of Sir-Walter-Scottery at its most romantic”.
Saint Malachy's Church is the third oldest Catholic Church in the city of Belfast. The foundation stone was laid in 1841. On December 15, 1844 Dr William Crolly, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland dedicated the building.
Catholic St Malachy's was built between 1841 and 1844 by Thomas Jackson and extensively renovated in the past decade. Its exterior resembles a Tudor castle complete with arrow slits and turrets, and the jewel-like interior's fan-vaulted ceiling replicates Westminster Abbey's Henry VII Chapel.
