Taney Parish
Encyclopedia
Taney is a populous parish in the Church of Ireland
, located in the Dundrum
area of Dublin.
in Dundrum. The derivation of the parish name, Taney, suggests that it derives from the Irish Teach Nahi or Nahi's house. Another possible source is Tamhnach, meaning a green field or arable spot. While there are no details available, there seems little doubt that religious worship was taking place here for some considerable time before the Anglo-Norman
Invasion of 1169-1171, which made use of a Papal Bull
asserting Rome's rights to all islands off the coast of Europe. The Rural See
(seat of a Rural Bishop) of Taney is mentioned in a report of Cardinal Paparo in 1152. The next record is as “the Deanery of Tanhy” in a taxation list sent from Rome to the Diocese of Dublin
.
When Henry II
granted Leinster
to Strongbow
, Tacheny was one of two areas held back, being allocated to Hugh de Clahull, who later passed his Dublin lands to the Archbishop of Dublin. In a Papal Bull of 1179, there is a reference to “the middle place of Tighney” (annotated in the Liber Niger of a later Archbishop, Alen, as “alias Tawney”), with a church and three subsidiary chapels (at Donnybrook, Kilgobbin and Rathfarnham).
In 1235, the Rural Dean of Taney was J. Matthew. Archbishop Luke (1228–1255) established Taney as a prebend of St. Patrick's Cathedral
and until 1851, the Archdeacon
s of Dublin held the Prebendary
and the post of Rector
of Taney, and the parish was chiefly overseen by curate
s-in-charge.
and Rome and the reign of Elizabeth I, the parish became part of the State Church. The Roman Catholic heritage of the district eventually became part of a Union Parish, overseen from Booterstown
(the Church of Ireland parish also spent much of the ensuing centuries as part of a Union, that of St. Peter's in the south inner city). In a reference of 1546, there is mention of Taney Rectory, and annual rentals totalling 19 pounds, which formed the salary of the resident curate. By 1615, Archbishop Thomas Jones reported in a royal visitation record that there was a resident curate, Robert Pont (also taking services in Donnybrook
and Rathfarnham
), that the “Church and Chancel” (of St. Nahi) were in good repair, and that prayer books were available.
By 1630, when Richard Prescott became curate, the rentals had risen in value to 100 pounds a year but Archbishop Bulkeley reported in that year that the church was in poor condition and that there were only two attending householders (most of the local population still adhered to the Roman Catholic Church). The next curate was John Sankey, also responsible for Donnybrook, Rathfarnham, Kilgobbin, Cruagh and Whitechurch.
In 1753, one A. Archball became curate, moving from service in Howth
and Kilbarrack
, and Jeremy Walsh took office in 1758, supervising the rebuilding of Taney Church in 1760, as attested to by a chalice still held there, presented by Archdeacon Isaac Mann. The new building was consecrated on 8 June of that year.
Walsh was succeeded by William Dwyer (1787) and Matthew Campbell (1787–1814). The parish school appears to have been started during Reverend Campbell's time, with references found to "the Charity School of Tanee" back to 1890. There is also reference to a George Horan as curate in 1792, possibly the first of a number of Curates Assistant. The earliest original parish records, deposited in the Library of the Representative Church Body, and dating back to 1791, are useful for determining the population and activities of the parish over time.
), Kilgobbin, Rathfarnham, Stillorgan
, Crumlin
and Tallaght
. As the local population (notably of Dundrum and Churchtown
) and the parish membership grew, the old church became too small, and by 1809, discussions were well underway on replacing the parish church with a new and more spacious structure. The first formal proposal, for the site now occupied by Christ Church, was considered by the Select Vestry on 22 October 1809, but failed. However, after discussion with the leaseholder and the landowner, and other representations, moneys were sought from the Board of First Fruits
, and £4,300 were lent. The decision to build was finally made in 1814, after a visit to the new church at Monkstown
, which design was used as a model. Richard Ryan became curate in that year and oversaw construction, which commenced in mid-1815, with additional funds being raised by the sale of pews in 1816, as the budget was exceeded.
Christ Church was completed and opened for worship in 1818, with a licence issued, unusually, by the Archbishop of Cashel
, and an initial consecration took place on 21 June 1818. It should be noted that this original Christ Church was rather smaller than the current building. Henry Hunt was curate from 1820–1821, followed by W. Vance (1821) and James Bulwar (1821–1824). Easter Vestry accounts of 1824 show costs for a vestry room, a 5-hundredweight bell and a sexton’s house. Henry Hamilton became non-resident curate in 1824, and in 1825, A. Campbell replaced him, as resident curate, followed in 1830 by Dr. Thomas Prior. In 1829, an Infant School was launched, and at some point in that period, part of the old church was converted into a Boys School (another part was used for funeral services), and a Girls Charity School established in a cottage at one end of the burial ground. In the later 1820s, and again in 1832, work was done to improve the roof of Christ Church, the South Gallery was added in 1833 and in 1835 the Ecclesiastical Commissioners gave 256 pounds towards interior decoration. In 1836, when C.A. Schoales became curate, a Sunday School
was opened (later this held the Infant School and teacher’s residence, and then a sexton’s residence). William Stanford was curate from 1837 to 1851.
The first rector was Andrew Bredin and he was succeeded in 1857 by Busteed Moeran. On the first Sunday of May, 1859, following a petition to the rector and the issue of a licence by the Archbishop of Dublin, services for the coastwards part of the parish were begun in a cottage in the grounds of a house called Seafield in Stillorgan
, local families contributing 30 pounds for fitting of a room, and 30 towards an attending curate's salary. William Hamilton became rector in 1867. Hamilton, who was also a Rural Dean, Prebendary of Harristown, and then of St. Michan’s and Chaplain to the Lord Lieutenant, led the parish until 1895.
At Christ Church, the stained glass east window, paid for by the Roe family, was dedicated in March 1871, and a new organ bought by Henry Roe, who also famously paid for the restoration of Christ Church Cathedral
. After Mr. Roe paid off all remaining building finance, it was possible to fully consecrate Christ Church, which the Archbishop of Dublin did on 10 June 1872. By 1873, the cottage at Seafield was too small for the eastern congregation, and the landlord, the Earl of Pembroke, offered a site at the corner of Fosters Avenue and Stillorgan Road, in Mount Merrion
. After much fund-raising, the modern parish's third church, St Thomas', was built there in 1874, operating initially as a chapel-of-ease. In 1867, a licence was granted for the performance of Divine Service
at what was then still known as the 'Dundrum Lunatic Asylum' and Church of Ireland
services are held regularly at the Central Mental Hospital to this day, though the original Church of Ireland chapel was donated to the local Catholic parish in the later 19th century.
In 1895, Messrs. Hamilton and Ball published a work on the Parish of Taney - at this time, the old Church of St. Nahi was in disuse but services did resume there by the early 20th century. Also in 1895, John J. Robinson became rector, overseeing the building of the parochial hall from 1897 to June 1898.
In 1897, a new Church of Ireland School was established at Eglinton Terrace, paid for by Lord Pembroke, with all parochial school activities moving there. This became a National School in 1898. In addition, in 1898, a parish magazine was launched, lasting until 1913. By the turn of the 20th century Taney Parish comprised the following townlands: Balally, Ballinteer
, Churchtown
, Drummartin, Dundrum
, Farranboley, Friarsland, Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire)
, Mount Anville, Mount Merrion
or Callary, Rathmines
, Roebuck, Ticknock and Trimlestown or Owenstown.
, founder of the first Boys’ Brigade Company in Dublin while a curate at St. Mattias in 1890, was appointed as rector. Gibbon would serve for over 34 years, becoming a canon of Christ Church Cathedral in 1923. He founded a Dundrum Company of the Boys’ Brigade also, which was replaced in 1922 by troops of Boy Scouts (SAI, now Scouting Ireland
) and Girl Guides
. 1901 also saw the establishment of the local branch of the Mothers' Union
. The school was extended in 1905. In 1909, services in St. Nahi’s Church were suspended due to the dangerous condition of the roof, which had to be replaced. The rector led much other restoration work on the old church also, including making of new flooring and seats, with main rebuilding completed in 1910.
A.W.F. Orr became was rector from 1935 to his retirement in 1958; he was made a canon of Christ Church Cathedral in 1946. Canon Orr died in 1964 and the oak stair at Christ Church was erected in his memory. In 1945, a special meeting was held to address the decline of parish organisations and parochial hall use, and sixteen groups were started or restored.
(which had previously absorbed Carysfort Parish), and the two parishes, still with separate Select Vestries, share a rector, at the St. Thomas Rectory. The Joint Parish Office is also at the Mount Merrion site, and services are celebrated at both sites.
Significant work was also done on the Parish National School in the closing years of the 20th century. At the beginning of the new millennium, the present parish is bounded by those of Milltown
to the north, Ticknock to the south, Churchtown
to the west and Goatstown
to the east. With over 800 families and more than 2000 parishioners, Taney is now the largest Church of Ireland
parish in Ireland
in numerical terms.
Currently being promoted is a nursing home / sheltered accommodation project, Taney Village, at the former Tennis Club grounds at Old Rectory Park, across the road and a little towards Dundrum village from the parish church, which will be run by a charitable company. As at August 2007, the development has been approved with conditions by the local authority, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, and is on appeal to An Bord Pleanala, with a decision expected in September.
The rector is still Desmond Sinnamon (now also Chancellor of St. Patrick's Cathedral). John Tanner was curate from 2003 (as Deacon from 2003 to 2004, then as Priest) to 21 September 2007, when he become Rector of Tullow Parish, in the Carrickmines
area.
of Christ Church Taney was originally built by Forster and Andrews
. However, the organ did not start its life in Taney. It was installed in Christ Church, Bray
some time in the 19th Century and then moved to St. Paul's, Bray. St. Paul's eventually became redundant and in 1989, the organ was brought to Taney. Most of the old Taney pipework was discarded and several ranks of pipes from other locations were incorporated into the organ. It now has 18 stops over two manuals and pedals.
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
, located in the Dundrum
Dundrum, Dublin
Dundrum , originally a town in its own right, is now a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Ireland.The area is located in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and Dublin 16.-History:...
area of Dublin.
Early history
Taney's origins go back to the early Irish saint Nathi, who in the 6th century established a centre for monastic life. This centre may have been on what is now the site of St. Nahi's ChurchSt. Nahi's Church
St. Nahi is an 18th-century church in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland.-History:The name Taney derives from Tigh Naithi meaning the house or place of Nahi, and who may also be associated with Tobarnea, a seashore well that near Blackrock...
in Dundrum. The derivation of the parish name, Taney, suggests that it derives from the Irish Teach Nahi or Nahi's house. Another possible source is Tamhnach, meaning a green field or arable spot. While there are no details available, there seems little doubt that religious worship was taking place here for some considerable time before the Anglo-Norman
Hiberno-Norman
The Hiberno-Normans are those Norman lords who settled in Ireland who admitted little if any real fealty to the Anglo-Norman settlers in England, and who soon began to interact and intermarry with the Gaelic nobility of Ireland. The term embraces both their origins as a distinct community with...
Invasion of 1169-1171, which made use of a Papal Bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
asserting Rome's rights to all islands off the coast of Europe. The Rural See
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
(seat of a Rural Bishop) of Taney is mentioned in a report of Cardinal Paparo in 1152. The next record is as “the Deanery of Tanhy” in a taxation list sent from Rome to the Diocese of Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin may refer to:* Archbishop of Dublin – an article which lists of pre- and post-Reformation archbishops.* Archbishop of Dublin – the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin....
.
When Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
granted Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
to Strongbow
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke , Lord of Leinster, Justiciar of Ireland . Like his father, he was also commonly known as Strongbow...
, Tacheny was one of two areas held back, being allocated to Hugh de Clahull, who later passed his Dublin lands to the Archbishop of Dublin. In a Papal Bull of 1179, there is a reference to “the middle place of Tighney” (annotated in the Liber Niger of a later Archbishop, Alen, as “alias Tawney”), with a church and three subsidiary chapels (at Donnybrook, Kilgobbin and Rathfarnham).
In 1235, the Rural Dean of Taney was J. Matthew. Archbishop Luke (1228–1255) established Taney as a prebend of St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
Saint Patrick's Cathedral , or more formally, the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Patrick is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Dublin, Ireland which was founded in 1191. The Church has designated it as The National Cathedral of Ireland...
and until 1851, the Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
s of Dublin held the Prebendary
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
and the post of Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Taney, and the parish was chiefly overseen by curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
s-in-charge.
Taney in the Church of Ireland
At some point between the separation between Henry VIIIHenry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and Rome and the reign of Elizabeth I, the parish became part of the State Church. The Roman Catholic heritage of the district eventually became part of a Union Parish, overseen from Booterstown
Booterstown
Booterstown,, is a coastal townland and civil parish, situated in the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council area of the former County Dublin, about south of the city of Dublin in Ireland.-Location and access:...
(the Church of Ireland parish also spent much of the ensuing centuries as part of a Union, that of St. Peter's in the south inner city). In a reference of 1546, there is mention of Taney Rectory, and annual rentals totalling 19 pounds, which formed the salary of the resident curate. By 1615, Archbishop Thomas Jones reported in a royal visitation record that there was a resident curate, Robert Pont (also taking services in Donnybrook
Donnybrook, Dublin
Donnybrook is a district of Dublin, Ireland. It is situated on the southside of the city, in the Dublin 4 postal district, and is home to the Irish state broadcaster RTÉ. It was once part of the Pembroke Township...
and Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham or Rathfarnam is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin County Councils.The area of Rathfarnham...
), that the “Church and Chancel” (of St. Nahi) were in good repair, and that prayer books were available.
By 1630, when Richard Prescott became curate, the rentals had risen in value to 100 pounds a year but Archbishop Bulkeley reported in that year that the church was in poor condition and that there were only two attending householders (most of the local population still adhered to the Roman Catholic Church). The next curate was John Sankey, also responsible for Donnybrook, Rathfarnham, Kilgobbin, Cruagh and Whitechurch.
In 1753, one A. Archball became curate, moving from service in Howth
Howth
Howth is an area in Fingal County near Dublin city in Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village, Howth with its surrounding rural district is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside, all on the peninsula of Howth Head. The only...
and Kilbarrack
Kilbarrack
Kilbarrack is a residential suburb of Dublin, Ireland, running inwards from the coast, about from the city's centre. Modern-day Kilbarrack is within the jurisdiction of Dublin City Council, with part of its old lands now in Donaghmede, and part in Bayside under Fingal County Council...
, and Jeremy Walsh took office in 1758, supervising the rebuilding of Taney Church in 1760, as attested to by a chalice still held there, presented by Archdeacon Isaac Mann. The new building was consecrated on 8 June of that year.
Walsh was succeeded by William Dwyer (1787) and Matthew Campbell (1787–1814). The parish school appears to have been started during Reverend Campbell's time, with references found to "the Charity School of Tanee" back to 1890. There is also reference to a George Horan as curate in 1792, possibly the first of a number of Curates Assistant. The earliest original parish records, deposited in the Library of the Representative Church Body, and dating back to 1791, are useful for determining the population and activities of the parish over time.
Early 19th century
In 1802, Taney still held the status of a Rural Deanery, including the churches of Taney itself (St. Nahi’sSt. Nahi's Church
St. Nahi is an 18th-century church in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland.-History:The name Taney derives from Tigh Naithi meaning the house or place of Nahi, and who may also be associated with Tobarnea, a seashore well that near Blackrock...
), Kilgobbin, Rathfarnham, Stillorgan
Stillorgan
Stillorgan , formerly a village in its own right, is now a suburban area of Dublin in Ireland. Stillorgan is located in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County, and contains many housing estates, shops and other facilities, with the old village centre still present...
, Crumlin
Crumlin, Dublin
Crumlin is suburb in Southside Dublin, Ireland. It is the site of Ireland's largest hospital for children.-Location:Crumlin covers the area from the River Poddle near the KCR to the Drimnagh Road, to Bunting Road, and is situated not far from the city centre, on the Southside of Dublin city....
and Tallaght
Tallaght
Tallaght is the largest town, and county town, of South Dublin County, Ireland. The village area, dating from at least the 17th century, held one of the earliest settlements known in the southern part of the island, and one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.Up to the 1960s...
. As the local population (notably of Dundrum and Churchtown
Churchtown, Dublin
Churchtown is a largely residential suburb on the southside of Dublin, Ireland, between Dundrum and Rathfarnham. It is in the postal districts Dublin 14 and Dublin 16.- Ely's Arch :...
) and the parish membership grew, the old church became too small, and by 1809, discussions were well underway on replacing the parish church with a new and more spacious structure. The first formal proposal, for the site now occupied by Christ Church, was considered by the Select Vestry on 22 October 1809, but failed. However, after discussion with the leaseholder and the landowner, and other representations, moneys were sought from the Board of First Fruits
Board of First Fruits
The Board of First Fruits was an institution of the Church of Ireland that was established in 1711 by Anne, Queen of Great Britain in order to build and improve churches and glebe houses in Ireland. This was funded from taxes collected on clerical incomes which were in turn funded by tithes...
, and £4,300 were lent. The decision to build was finally made in 1814, after a visit to the new church at Monkstown
Monkstown Church, Dublin
Monkstown Church is a church of the Church of Ireland located in Monkstown, County Dublin, Ireland.-History:The original church on this site was opened in 1789 and was a very simple church. In 1825 it was decided to rebuild the church and the architect John Semple of the Board of First Fruits was...
, which design was used as a model. Richard Ryan became curate in that year and oversaw construction, which commenced in mid-1815, with additional funds being raised by the sale of pews in 1816, as the budget was exceeded.
Archbishop of Cashel
The Archbishop of Cashel is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. The title is still in use in the Roman Catholic Church, but in the Church of Ireland it was downgraded to a bishopric in 1838....
, and an initial consecration took place on 21 June 1818. It should be noted that this original Christ Church was rather smaller than the current building. Henry Hunt was curate from 1820–1821, followed by W. Vance (1821) and James Bulwar (1821–1824). Easter Vestry accounts of 1824 show costs for a vestry room, a 5-hundredweight bell and a sexton’s house. Henry Hamilton became non-resident curate in 1824, and in 1825, A. Campbell replaced him, as resident curate, followed in 1830 by Dr. Thomas Prior. In 1829, an Infant School was launched, and at some point in that period, part of the old church was converted into a Boys School (another part was used for funeral services), and a Girls Charity School established in a cottage at one end of the burial ground. In the later 1820s, and again in 1832, work was done to improve the roof of Christ Church, the South Gallery was added in 1833 and in 1835 the Ecclesiastical Commissioners gave 256 pounds towards interior decoration. In 1836, when C.A. Schoales became curate, a Sunday School
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
was opened (later this held the Infant School and teacher’s residence, and then a sexton’s residence). William Stanford was curate from 1837 to 1851.
Mid- to late 19th century
In 1850, the Central Criminal Lunatic Asylum was opened (now the Central Mental Hospital) and when, in July 1851, Taney was established as an independent parish, the chaplaincy of this facility was attached to the post of rector. Taney’s independence marked the beginning of the end of arrangements which had seen the Archdeacons of Dublin holding office additionally as vicars of the large St. Peter’s Parish in the south city, and Rectors of Taney, Rathfarnham (also independent in July 1851) and Donnybrook (made independent in 1864).The first rector was Andrew Bredin and he was succeeded in 1857 by Busteed Moeran. On the first Sunday of May, 1859, following a petition to the rector and the issue of a licence by the Archbishop of Dublin, services for the coastwards part of the parish were begun in a cottage in the grounds of a house called Seafield in Stillorgan
Stillorgan
Stillorgan , formerly a village in its own right, is now a suburban area of Dublin in Ireland. Stillorgan is located in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County, and contains many housing estates, shops and other facilities, with the old village centre still present...
, local families contributing 30 pounds for fitting of a room, and 30 towards an attending curate's salary. William Hamilton became rector in 1867. Hamilton, who was also a Rural Dean, Prebendary of Harristown, and then of St. Michan’s and Chaplain to the Lord Lieutenant, led the parish until 1895.
At Christ Church, the stained glass east window, paid for by the Roe family, was dedicated in March 1871, and a new organ bought by Henry Roe, who also famously paid for the restoration of Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland...
. After Mr. Roe paid off all remaining building finance, it was possible to fully consecrate Christ Church, which the Archbishop of Dublin did on 10 June 1872. By 1873, the cottage at Seafield was too small for the eastern congregation, and the landlord, the Earl of Pembroke, offered a site at the corner of Fosters Avenue and Stillorgan Road, in Mount Merrion
Mount Merrion
Mount Merrion is an area of Dublin, Ireland. It is roughly 7 kilometres south of the city centre. It is situated on and around a hill of the same name.-Location and access:...
. After much fund-raising, the modern parish's third church, St Thomas', was built there in 1874, operating initially as a chapel-of-ease. In 1867, a licence was granted for the performance of Divine Service
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
at what was then still known as the 'Dundrum Lunatic Asylum' and Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
services are held regularly at the Central Mental Hospital to this day, though the original Church of Ireland chapel was donated to the local Catholic parish in the later 19th century.
In 1895, Messrs. Hamilton and Ball published a work on the Parish of Taney - at this time, the old Church of St. Nahi was in disuse but services did resume there by the early 20th century. Also in 1895, John J. Robinson became rector, overseeing the building of the parochial hall from 1897 to June 1898.
In 1897, a new Church of Ireland School was established at Eglinton Terrace, paid for by Lord Pembroke, with all parochial school activities moving there. This became a National School in 1898. In addition, in 1898, a parish magazine was launched, lasting until 1913. By the turn of the 20th century Taney Parish comprised the following townlands: Balally, Ballinteer
Ballinteer
Ballinteer is a southside suburb of Dublin, located in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown county, Ireland, extensively developed from the late 1960s onwards.- History :...
, Churchtown
Churchtown, Dublin
Churchtown is a largely residential suburb on the southside of Dublin, Ireland, between Dundrum and Rathfarnham. It is in the postal districts Dublin 14 and Dublin 16.- Ely's Arch :...
, Drummartin, Dundrum
Dundrum, Dublin
Dundrum , originally a town in its own right, is now a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Ireland.The area is located in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and Dublin 16.-History:...
, Farranboley, Friarsland, Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire)
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
, Mount Anville, Mount Merrion
Mount Merrion
Mount Merrion is an area of Dublin, Ireland. It is roughly 7 kilometres south of the city centre. It is situated on and around a hill of the same name.-Location and access:...
or Callary, Rathmines
Rathmines
Rathmines is a suburb on the southside of Dublin, about 3 kilometres south of the city centre. It effectively begins at the south side of the Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranelagh to the east and Harold's Cross to the west.Rathmines has...
, Roebuck, Ticknock and Trimlestown or Owenstown.
Taney Parish from 1900 to 1956
In 1901, W. Monk GibbonMonk Gibbon
William Monk Gibbon was an Irish poet and prolific author, known as "The Grand Old Man of Irish Letters". His collection of over twenty volumes of poetry, autobiography, travel and criticism are kept at Queen's University Belfast. He also wrote many published novels, and has been characterised as...
, founder of the first Boys’ Brigade Company in Dublin while a curate at St. Mattias in 1890, was appointed as rector. Gibbon would serve for over 34 years, becoming a canon of Christ Church Cathedral in 1923. He founded a Dundrum Company of the Boys’ Brigade also, which was replaced in 1922 by troops of Boy Scouts (SAI, now Scouting Ireland
Scouting Ireland
Scouting Ireland is the World Organization of the Scout Movement-recognised Scouting association in the Republic of Ireland, although it also has Scout Groups in Northern Ireland. Scouting Ireland is a voluntary, non-formal educational movement for young people...
) and Girl Guides
Council of Irish Guiding Associations
The Council of Irish Guiding Associations is the national Guiding federation of the Republic of Ireland. Guiding in Ireland started in 1911 and became a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1932...
. 1901 also saw the establishment of the local branch of the Mothers' Union
Mothers' Union
Mothers’ Union is an international Christian charity that seeks to support families worldwide. Its members are not all mothers or even all women, as there are many parents, men, widows, singles and grandparents involved in its work...
. The school was extended in 1905. In 1909, services in St. Nahi’s Church were suspended due to the dangerous condition of the roof, which had to be replaced. The rector led much other restoration work on the old church also, including making of new flooring and seats, with main rebuilding completed in 1910.
A.W.F. Orr became was rector from 1935 to his retirement in 1958; he was made a canon of Christ Church Cathedral in 1946. Canon Orr died in 1964 and the oak stair at Christ Church was erected in his memory. In 1945, a special meeting was held to address the decline of parish organisations and parochial hall use, and sixteen groups were started or restored.
The separation of the Parish of Mount Merrion
St. Thomas's became the parish church for a new Parish of Mount Merrion in 1956, after conclusion of discussions that had begun in 1948. Trevor Hipwell, senior curate of Taney, was appointed as its first Rector, occupying a newly built rectory by the church. A few years later, in 1965, the church was extended. In 1994, Mount Merrion Parish was placed in a Group with the Parish of BooterstownBooterstown
Booterstown,, is a coastal townland and civil parish, situated in the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council area of the former County Dublin, about south of the city of Dublin in Ireland.-Location and access:...
(which had previously absorbed Carysfort Parish), and the two parishes, still with separate Select Vestries, share a rector, at the St. Thomas Rectory. The Joint Parish Office is also at the Mount Merrion site, and services are celebrated at both sites.
Taney Parish from 1956
Walter Burrows became rector in 1959, having established a new church at Crumlin, and in 1968, the 1897 school was superseded by one at Sydenham Villas. Desmond Harman served as curate assistant from 1967 to 1973; he later became Dean of Christ Church Cathedral (an office he held until December 2007). Desmond Sinnamon succeeded Rev. Burrows as rector in 1983. After some debate, it was decided in 1989 to sell the old Parochial Hall (which raised 433000 pounds) and to build a new Parish Centre in the church grounds (whose freehold was bought out). The foundation stone of the new centre (beside Christ Church) was blessed on 11 November 1990, with the centre, with classrooms, meeting spaces and offices, was completed in September 1991 and opened by the President of Ireland on Thursday 21 November 1991.Significant work was also done on the Parish National School in the closing years of the 20th century. At the beginning of the new millennium, the present parish is bounded by those of Milltown
Milltown, Dublin
Milltown , Dublin 6, Ireland, is a suburb on the southside of Dublin. The townland got its name well before the 18th or 19th century. Both Milltown and Clonskeagh were "Liberties" of Dublin, following the English invasion and colonisation in 1290....
to the north, Ticknock to the south, Churchtown
Churchtown, Dublin
Churchtown is a largely residential suburb on the southside of Dublin, Ireland, between Dundrum and Rathfarnham. It is in the postal districts Dublin 14 and Dublin 16.- Ely's Arch :...
to the west and Goatstown
Goatstown
Goatstown is a suburb of Dublin located in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland. To the west is Dundrum, to the east is Mount Merrion and Stillorgan, to the south is Sandyford, and to the north is Roebuck and Clonskeagh....
to the east. With over 800 families and more than 2000 parishioners, Taney is now the largest Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
parish in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
in numerical terms.
Currently being promoted is a nursing home / sheltered accommodation project, Taney Village, at the former Tennis Club grounds at Old Rectory Park, across the road and a little towards Dundrum village from the parish church, which will be run by a charitable company. As at August 2007, the development has been approved with conditions by the local authority, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, and is on appeal to An Bord Pleanala, with a decision expected in September.
The rector is still Desmond Sinnamon (now also Chancellor of St. Patrick's Cathedral). John Tanner was curate from 2003 (as Deacon from 2003 to 2004, then as Priest) to 21 September 2007, when he become Rector of Tullow Parish, in the Carrickmines
Carrickmines
Carrickmines is suburb of Dublin in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Ireland. Traditionally a location for large expensive houses, being situated just south of Foxrock. The area is now divided north/south by the M50 motorway and its associated Junction 15...
area.
Christ Church Organ
The organOrgan
-Biology and medicine:*Organ , a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function*Organ pipe coral, a marine organism native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans*Stenocereus thurberi, the organ pipe cactus plant-Music:...
of Christ Church Taney was originally built by Forster and Andrews
Forster and Andrews
Forster and Andrews was formed by James Alderson Forster and Joseph King Andrews , who had been employees of the London organ builder J. C. Bishop.They opened the business that bore their name in Hull in 1843...
. However, the organ did not start its life in Taney. It was installed in Christ Church, Bray
Christ Church, Bray
Christ Church, Bray is in the Church of Ireland parish of Bray, County Wicklow located on Church Road on a rise, previously known as the Rock of Bray, behind Bray Town Hall.The church was consecrated in 1863 on St James' Day, 25 July...
some time in the 19th Century and then moved to St. Paul's, Bray. St. Paul's eventually became redundant and in 1989, the organ was brought to Taney. Most of the old Taney pipework was discarded and several ranks of pipes from other locations were incorporated into the organ. It now has 18 stops over two manuals and pedals.
Sources
- Dundrum, Dublin, 1968: Select Vestry of Taney Parish: A Short History of Taney Parish (M.H. Coote, editor; R.C.H. Townshend, researcher)
- Taney: portrait of a parish : a social and historical profile of the Parish of Taney in Dublin Carol Robinson Tweed, 1994, ISBN 9780952453208
External links
- Taney Parish Website (including pages on the two parish churches)
- List of Church of Ireland Parishes in the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough
- The Church of Ireland
- The Dublin and Glendalough Church Music Committee is an organisation that supports and resources music and musicians in the local church.