Old Presbyterian Church, Limerick

The First Presbyterian Church in Limerick was built in 1817. Designed by architect George Coppinger Ashlin in partnership with Thomas A. Coleman, this red brick and Portland stone church showcases intricate stone carvings and ornamentation. It was their only Presbyterian commission in Limerick, with most of their work in Leinster.

The church was built due to the growing congregation, originally from Calvinist Dissenters from Scotland around 1549. Their early worship place was the old chapel of the Augustinian Nunnery. In 1765, they built a Dissenters’ Meeting House in Pump Lane, later replaced by the 1817 Glentworth Street church. This church was enlarged in 1829 and 1846 but still became too small. Thus, a new site was acquired at Henry Street and Lower Mallow Street, with building work starting in 1899.

The new church, completed in 1901, could hold 500 people. Built in the Early English Gothic Revival style, it features a three-stage corner tower, a three-sided apse, Ruabon brick, and Portland stone dressings. Its key architectural elements include a rose window, narrow lancet windows, and herringbone timber doors with original hinges. It originally had gas lighting, later upgraded to electricity in 1915.

In 1904, the old church was sold to a printing business. The Henry Street church was used until the 1970s, after which the congregation merged with the Methodist Church at Christ Church on O’Connell Street. The Henry Street church briefly served as a courthouse before being converted into an office building in the 1990s. Despite modern developments around it, the church remains a significant part of the Henry Street streetscape.