The History of The Holy Rosary Church
In l827 the Rev. G. N. Wright, Professor of Antiquities at the Royal Hibernian Academy, described Greystones as “a little wild headland” where fishing and farming were the main sources of income. The l850s saw the introduction of roads and rail and in l888 the harbour was developed. Today the town of Greystones and surrounding areas has a great variety of sport and recreation facilities and is a thriving community of young and old with a strong ecumenical ethos.
The Churches of Holy Rosary and St. Killian’s have been central to the growing spiritual needs of the community.
In 1894 Patrick Boland J.P. offered to build a church in Greystones. In 1895 his uncle Bishop Donnelly, the then Parish Priest of Bray and Greystones, obtained a site of one acre from one of the main landowners in the area, Mr. LaTouche, for the church, at a rent of £25 per year. An iron pre-fab chapel, on the site of the current church, dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary was built for £405. In 1903 a violent storm destroyed this pre-fab and a temporary wooden chapel was provided by Greystones resident Mr. P. Kinlen, J.P. The new more permanent structure of today was built by Mr. Kinlan at the behest of Bishop Donnelly and the first sod was turned in 1903. The church, although incomplete, was ready for use by 1904.
Fr. Michael Flood was transferred to Greystones from St. Paul’s, Arran Quay, Dublin and he oversaw the completion of the nave and the tower at the front entrance. The new church of the romanesque style, became the most prominent building in Greystones.
The Church of the Holy Rosary was officially re-opened in 1909. One year previous to this, in 1908, Greystones was constituted an independent Parish from Bray by His Grace the Archbishop and the Parish of Holy Rosary and St. Kilian’s, Blacklion, was established. The parochial house in the church grounds was built in 1886.
A Window of Prayer
Have you every noticed or studied the sacred art in our churches, especially the many beautiful stained glass windows in the Holy Rosary Church? Sacred art helps us to pray. We do not pray to the images. They are there to help us reflect on God and focus our prayers and thoughts.
Two of these windows, one representing The Good Shepherd and the other Our Lady of the Rosary are by the renowned stained glass artist and noted painter, Evie Hone (1894–1955). These are situated on the right and left isles of the church and the work was carried out in 1948. There is a preservation order on the Holy Rosary Church. This is listed in Wicklow County Development Plan 1999, Greystones/Delgany and Rathdown (Wicklow County Council) naming the ‘interior including the Evie Hone windows’.
Evie Hone was born (1894) in Roebuck Grove, Co Dublin. She was crippled by paralysis when she was 11 years old. She visited Assisi (1911) where she became interested in stained glass. She trained in London and Paris. From 1924 onwards she exhibited in Dublin, England, France and USA, in various media. In 1937 she converted to Catholicism and her work took on a more religious tone.
Evie Hone along with Mainie Jellett were the first artists of introduce the then new art style, Cubism, to Ireland. This style of square (cube) stained glass can be seen in her work. She is most famous for her window in Eton College Chapel, England. She died at Rathfarnham, Dublin on 13th March 1955.
The stained glass window, The Good Shepherd, inspired the poet, Brian Power, a priest of the diocese, to write the following:
Evie Hone Window in Greystones Parish Church
Your tunic, magnetic gold,
has drawn me near,
but you look fretful, shepherd,
with all those woolly
bleaters clamouring to be led
and a fat old ewe
wrapped round your shoulders.
It’s a black sheep
gets to nuzzle your knee and pulls
your eyes downward
perhaps to guard the errant –
or rather to protect the little one
different from a heedless flock?
The next time you have a chance, take the poem with you and read it while looking at the window.
