The Church that Isn't

St. Jude's Church Kilmainham

Travellers entering Dublin from the west, entering St. John’s Road in Kilmainham, will be aware of a church located behind the two office blocks (belonging to the Department of Social and Family Affairs) which stand opposite the War Memorial Gardens.  

  However, intending worshippers shouldn’t be in too much of a rush to check out the times of services there, as the church was demolished in 1988. The body of the church was disassembled, leaving only the spire, and rebuilt in Straffan Co. Kildare as part of the Steam Museum by none other than Robert Guinness of the brewing dynasty. Benjamin Guinness, who rescued St. Patrick’s Cathedral from falling into terminal disrepair, would surely turn in his grave at the fate of St. Jude’s.

  The church opened for worship (coincidentally when the abovementioned St. Patrick’s restoration was approaching completion) on the 2^nd of January 1864. It owed its existence to the newly-arrived Great Southern & Western Railway Works; the employees of which worshipped there alongside local parishioners.

The early days of the church were notable for many reasons. A harmonium was used instead of an organ. Seemingly the size of the church made the acoustics perfect for the playing of the instrument. An organ was later installed, paid for by the Rev. Thomas Mills, who was largely responsible for the building of the church itself. He was also the chairman of the Select Vestry of St. Jude’s and seems to have been quite  a strong-willed clergyman to put it mildly. The organ was later to become part of an intra-family dispute.

Rev. Mills had given £400 towards the building and furnishing of St. Jude’s and seems to have taken the view that the Select Vestry were superfluous to the running of the parish. His sermons were notorious, lasting up to an hour prompting the Vestry to pointedly suggest that “…services of shorter duration would tend to increase the congregation”  

  He gathered, counted and lodged the Sunday collections himself. Bills were paid by him personally. The organist, a Mr. Sinclair, was paid £20 a year. Henry Mason of Richmond Hill was sexton of St. Jude’s – salary 10 shillings a week. The bellringer was paid ninepence per service until parishioners noticed his alcoholic tendencies and he was relieved of duties. His name is not recorded…

The Rev. Thomas Mills died, aged 78, on the 27^th of January 1900.

  He was superseded by a Rev. GD Nash who promptly received a letter from two nieces of Rev. Mills who demanded that the organ be given to them as inheritors of Rev. Mills’ estate.

It was pointed out to the ladies in question that the organ that existed at the time of their uncle’s demise had been insured, improved over the years and also tuned directly as a result of parishioners’ donations over the years.  In any event, the organ (be it the original or not) was immovably bolted to the wall.

  It was revealed that all of Rev. Mills’ property reverted to the church, so the ladies left empty-handed.

Later, a memorial window “To the glory of God and in memory of the late Rev. Thomas Mills” was installed in memory of the late, much-loved, cleric.

  The outbreak of the Great War saw the congregation of St. Jude’s increase with an influx of servicemen from nearby Richmond Barracks. Concerts and light refreshments were regularly provided for “The Boys”. Indeed some of St. Judes’ clerics themselves served in the conflict - Captain Norman Palmer, Second Lieutenant Arthur George Atock, among others.

  St. Jude’s did sterling work during WWII when the Parochial Hall was used for Air Raid Precaution meetings. St. John's Ambulance Brigade was allowed to turn the hall into an emergency hospital in case of enemy invasion.

  1953 saw the first attempt at the elimination of the venerable collection of buildings when vandals attempted to burn down the Parochial Hall.

  Today, St Jude’s spire is all that remains of this historic church which would have served well as a transport museum on its original site, being so close to the Inchicore Railway works.