Sts. Alphonsus & Columba church in Ballybrack village was the first of our churches to be built, back in 1856. It is currently undergoing necessary restoration work because of water ingress at the wall exposed to the elements. Please click here to donate to our Fundraising Campaign.
The following extract from N. Donnelly, A Short History of Dublin Parishes (Blackrock: Carraig Books, 1979) is eloquent about its origins:
“Fr. Sheridan (then P.P. of Kingstown) had secured a Church site among the gorse and boulders of the slope of Killiney Hill and a new Church of very presentable dimensions and architecture was creeping up, one knew not how, for there was neither collections, meetings nor bazaars. The neighbourhood was no longer the desert it had been since the Reformation, but was gradually being seized upon for building plots, on which handsome and commodious villa residences were being run up rapidly and in a thrice Killiney and Ballybrack became the most fashionable summer suburbs of Dublin. The extension of the railway line from Kingstown along the coast, the fresh sea and mountain air, and the unrivalled beauty of the view in the Wicklow direction contributed much to the development. But the Parish Priest was equal to this occasion and in 1856 the new Church at Ballybrack was solemnly opened and dedicated to Saints Alphonsus & Columba. Immediately Fr. John Harold moved up from Cabinteely to take charge of the new Church. This arrangement continued until the death of Fr. Sheridan in 1862 when rumours of a dividing up of the parishes became prevalent. The division, however, did not take place until a year after the vacancy, 1863, when Glasthule, Dalkey and Killiney were erected into a new parish with Fr. John Harold first P.P. and Cabinteely and Little Bray were given to him to administer. While Fr. Harold was still curate in Killiney, he built the Parochial House and the school within the church grounds”.
Today, the spire of Sts. Alphonsus and Columba is a landmark for the whole area and it provides a wonderful vista when exiting the M50 at Cherrywood or the N11 and our Pastoral Centre in the basement of the Parochial House is well equipped with meeting rooms and catering facilities. Tea and coffee are provided after all our Masses and all are welcome! We have Mass here Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10am, as well as Sunday morning at 10:30am.
The Church of the Apostles at Willow Vale (beside Tesco) was built by Fr. Frank Mitchell and Mgr. John Deasy and opened in 1982 to cater for the rapidly developing parish community. It too has a parish office as well as a Pastoral Centre and our sacramental preparation meetings etc. are held here. This modern church was renovated in 2017 by Fr Alex Conlan and, being centrally located, it is the best attended church in the whole parish. Our Masses in this church are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10am (tea & coffee after Mass), as well as Sunday at 12 noon.
St. Stephen’s Church, Killiney, was opened in 1984, not far from the Killiney Castle hotel and opposite the entrance to Killiney Hill Park as well as the Holy Trinity church. Designed by MacKenna Brock architects, it received an An Taisce Context Award when it was completed. And the altar, crucifix, and baptismal font etc. are the work of the famous Irish artist, Imogen Stuart. St. Stephen’s is the smallest of our churches and we have only one Mass a week here, Saturday evening at 6pm, as well as baptisms, weddings and funerals. But the parishioners in nearby Killiney village are actively engaged in the parish and they lovingly care for their church with its beautiful atrium and cloister.