- One of the oldest churches in the Dublin area, situated outside the city in a rural area.
- Original church is of interesting, compact construction.
- Nearby Holy Well is a well-preserved relic of medieval piety.
- Very limited opening times may not suit most visitors.
- Original church dated back to the 12th century, built as a hermitage.
- Renovated and enlarged in 1863 in a Gothic Revival style.
- Holy Well just outside the church walls with medieval buildings.
St. Doulagh's Church is named after the saintly hermit Doulagh - and fittingly enough it was used as a hermitage for ages. Which does not show ar first sight. Instead you will see an old church with some conversion work done over the centuries. But upon closer inspection the proportions, though pleasing enough, seem to be somehow skewed, in places tending to the grotesque.
This is the direct result of the original hermitage now being part of the church. Which makes this "House of God" a bit of a rabbit warren - ideal for a bit of ecclesiastical hide and seek in-between more spiritual pursuits. Small rooms connected by winding staircases are the most obvious old features. Less obvious are the place on the stairs where the hermit could hear confession. Or those openings allowing the leprous to be part of the Christian community, albeit segregated in quarantine.
To see these you will, however, join the church tour on Sunday afternoons - at other times visits are confined to the exterior.
Which is interesting enough in its own right. Especially since a Holy Well is next to St. Doulagh's Church in a grassy area. This used to be richly decorated. Today only the stone buildings protecting the well remain, an impressive reminder that this place must once have been a true spiritual center.
Recommended for anybody interested in old churches of looking for a place of contemplation - provided you are able to ignore the aircraft heading for Dublin Airport, often passing very low indeed.
