Dunleer Parish: Saint Brigid's Church
Saint Brigid's Church Dunleer dates back to at least 1802. The original deed for the building was drawn up then with the signees being Thomas Coddington, the local landlord and a parishioner called Thomas Landy. A rent of one shilling per annum was specified. Like most Irish Catholic churches of its period, it is situated parallel to the Main Street at the end of a short avenue called Old Chapel Lane . Most of the Penal Laws were still on the Statute Book then and Catholic churches were tolerated, if not encouraged, as long as they remained discreetly out of sight on a Back Lane, were called ‘chapels' and had no bell-towers. Most Irish towns had their first post-Reformation churches on similar sites and Chapel Street or Lane is a common address from the period. A bell-tower and spire was added in 1859 and major renovations were carried out in 1884 and in recent years. The parish church of Dunleer, which began as a modest barn-church, tucked away out of public sight, remains an unassuming country church which has been modified, beautified and added to over the centuries.
In the architectural manual called Buildings of North Leinster by Rowan and Casey the church is described thus:
Tall early nineteenth century T-plan chapel with the altar in the long West wall and a three-stage tower and broach spire of 1859 at the East entrance end. The church is harled with short pointed lancets in pairs. The tower is of rubble with limestone trim. Rich interior with three galleries (two since removed) supported on wooden cluster-shafted columns and a splendid timber roof boasting an elaborate pattern of individually braced trusses, Caen stone Gothic reredos and side altars, mosaiced chancel and brightly-coloured stained-glass in the West window. All this dates to a renovation of 1884.
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