Parish
History
" The old order changeth, yielding place
to new,
And God fulfils himself in many ways" – Sir
Nevile Wilkinson
The Norman family of Fitzwilliam came to Ireland in 1210. When their original
castle at Merrion fell into disrepair, Richard, the 5th Viscount, built Merrion
House (part of which is now incorporated in the Community Centre) in 1711.
The 7th Viscount, who never married, bequeathed the house and estate at Mount
Merrion
to his cousin, the 11th Earl of Pembroke. Thereafter, the house was let for
many years to a succession of prominent establishment figures and was, for
a time,
the home of the Vernons, agents to the Pembroke estate. Lady Beatrix Pembroke,
and her husband, Sir Nevile Wilkinson, Ulster King of Arms, lived with their
two daughters at Mount Merrion until 1914 and it was for them that Sir Nevile
began work on the famous Titania's Palace, now on exhibition at Legoland in
Denmark.
Mount Merrion House and some 300 acres of land were sold by the Pembroke estate
in 1918 with a view to development. However, it was not until John Kenny took
over the lands in the early 1930s that large scale housing development began,
commencing in the areas nearest the Stillorgan Road.
 Mount
Merrion House and some of the surrounding land was acquired by Dundrum parish
in 1935. Part of the old house was refurbished and opened as a chapel
of ease, dedicated to St Thérèse of Lisieux on 17 May 1936. The
upper floors became the curates' residence and other rooms were used as classrooms
for the newly-opened Scoil San Treasa. The steward's quarters were converted
into a Parish Hall.
On 29 April 1948, the Parish of Mount Merrion and Kilmacud was constituted
from the Parish of Dundrum and the chapel of ease became the temporary parish
church.
Following the acquisition of some further land in 1953, work began on the construction
of the present Church of St Thérèse which was blessed and opened
by Archbishop J.C. McQuaid on 19 February 1956. In 1980–81, the altar
was relocated to conform with the new liturgical requirements. A complete refurbishment
of the church was carried out in 2006; for details, click
here.
New buildings for Scoil San Treasa, beside the Church, opened in 1963; to go
to the school website, click
here.
In 1964, Mount Merrion and Kilmacud became
separate parishes. For more information on the story of the parish since then,
see The Church on the Hill: The story of a parish, published in December 2000,
and available at the Church Bookshop, price €3.
A Parish Hall and Community Centre, incorporating part of the old Mount Merrion
House, was opened 1979; it was refurbished and extended in 2002–03 and
was formally opened by the President, Mrs Mary McAleese – for information
about the Centre, click here |
