St. Mary's Church



The old church of St. Mary's in Crumlin stands on a prominent site at the junction of St. Mary's Road. and St. Agnes Road, a short distance north of the main shopping street in Crumlin village.  Archaeological finds have confirmed the existence of prehistoric sites in the area, and in the early medieval period Crumlin was one of four royal manors near Dublin.

 

The St. Mary's site is one of great antiquity, having been occupied by a succession of churches since the twelfth century. Most of the present body of the church dates from the early nineteenth century, but the tower is medieval with a fine early eighteenth century door case.  Surrounding the church is an old graveyard which contains numerous early headstones. The graveyard is enclosed by a high stone wall, probably dating from the eighteenth century, and in the southwest corner is a large shallow vaulted structure which may be a mort-safe, or corpse house employed to deter grave robbers.



In the early twentieth century, Crumlin was a small village well outside the urban spread of Dublin, which provided St. Mary's with only a small congregation.  On the completion of the new church, the old church was used as a parish hall for various church societies such as bowling and badminton clubs and remained so until 1994 when the nave and vestry were damaged by fire.  Fortunately, the old church has survived as the major landmark of the area and more importantly as a record of the village's long and interesting history.