Historical introduction: the building of All Saints’ Raheny

All Saints’ Church was built on the initiative of Arthur Edward Guinness, Lord Ardilaun, of the famous brewing family. Before the building of All Saints’, the Church of Ireland parish church in Raheny was St Assam’s; you can see the remains of this building in the centre of the village opposite the Manhattan pub. When the Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1870, the lands that had previously been used to support the parish became the possession of the crown. From having an income of about £400 per year to pay a rector, run a school and maintain the church, Raheny was reduced to only about £40. Two years later Lord Ardilaun stepped in. He provided money for purchase of glebe lands to provide an income, in exchange for having the right to choose the rector. His choice fell on the Rev. Francis Hayes, who became rector in 1873. Some years later Lord Ardilaun proposed to build a new church on part of his own estate of St Anne's. With George Coppinger Ashlin as architect and Collen Brothers of Portadown as the main contractors, the church was completed and opened in 1889.

The extremely dominant role of Lord Ardilaun and his family in the affairs of this church continued for almost fifty years. After Arthur Guinness’s death in 1915 his place was taken by his wife, Olivia, Lady Ardilaun, also known as Olive; after her death in 1925 it went to Benjamin Plunket, the retired Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath, who was Lord Ardilaun’s nephew. Benjamin Plunket eventually put the St Anne’s estate up for sale in 1936, and in 1938 the church was transferred to the Representative Church Body. From that point on the rectorship of Raheny was no longer in the gift of the Guinness-Plunket family. However, as you follow this tour you will repeatedly hear the names of Lord and Lady Ardilaun and Bishop Plunket.

The photograph of the statue of Lord Ardilaun accompanying this tour stop is the work of Jaqian at English Wikipedia.