The Lost Church of Saint Mark, Drogheda, Co. Louth
Uncovering the storied history of St. Mark's Church, Fair Street, Drogheda, Co. Louth from what little remains
At the corner of Drogheda's Fair Street and Bolton Street there is a curious ghost of a sometimes overlooked part of Drogheda's past. A low wall forms part of a boundary to a carpark located at the rear of a building on Drogheda's main street (formerly a charity shop, and before that a hardware shop). This low wall contains traces of a grey-bricked facade of a building.
As can be made out in the image above (Fig 1), there are the remains of what looks like two doorways and a window, which still has its sill remaining. But what was this building?
Saint Mark's Church
A look at an OS map of Drogheda from circa 1870 (Fig 2) reveals that a 'St. Mark's Church' once stood here. This church was a 'chapel of ease' for the nearby St. Peter's (Church of Ireland) church. Simply put, it was to provide 'overflow' capacity for the main church in the parish, in particular for those protestants who did not have sufficient means to pay for and secure a seat in St. Peter's.
Dermot Foley (Foley 2005, 122-33) has written an excellent history of the church, upon which this piece draws heavily. His article includes much detail on the ecclesiastical history of the building. I will not overly dwell on the ecclesiastical history in detail here, this article being more concerned with the building itself.
The first stone of the church was laid on 10 December 1827 and following completion of construction the building was consecrated on 22 April 1828 (Foley 2005, 124). The building cost a total of £1,918.18s 7 1/2d. Drogheda Corporation gave £276 18s 5 1/2d towards the cost, the protestant Primate £100, private subscriptions amounted to £642 2s 0d, and the Board of First Fruits (a body established to give grants for protestant church building) £900. (A Brief History of St. Peter’s Church of Ireland, Drogheda). While in theory a 'free church' pew rent was charged. D'Alton, in his History of Drogheda, published in 1844, describes the church as follows:
'St. Mark's Free Church is a handsome edifice, erected in 1828, situated in Fair-street ; it was designed as a chapel of ease to St. Peter's church, and for the accommodation of families who could, not obtain sittings there. Towards the expenses of the edifice the corporation contributed £300; the late Board of First Fruits, £900; the Lord Primate £100; and the balance, about £600, was raised by local subscription. It could accommodate three hundred persons, and is usually attended by about half that number. The benefice ranks as a perpetual curacy, subject to episcopal jurisdiction, without, however, any cure of souls annexed to it, such parochial duty belonging of right to the incumbent of St. Peter's parish. Neither has the minister any glebe or glebe house, but he has been endowed by the corporation with the rectorial tithes of Inismott, in the county Meath, now amounting to £48 155., while the same body having assigned the patronage to the Lord Primate, he adds £50 yearly to the curate's income. Mr. Hugh Ussher Tighe was the first person appointed to this benefice, to whom Mr. Needham, the present incumbent, succeeded in April, 1834. Divine Service is performed here twice on Sundays in summer, and once in winter, and on Good Friday and Christmas day, while the Sacrament is administered monthly. The annual charges incident to this perpetual cure were, on its erection, assessed at the vestries holden in St. Peter's parish; in 1830, however, the Lord Primate, with his wonted liberality upon such occasions, took upon himself the payment thereof, and continued to defray them until, on the passing of the Act for the abolition of church cess, they devolved upon the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.' (D'Alton 1844, 50).
The construction of the church was greeted with some degree of dismay and hostility by the local Catholics (the majority of the population) as it was proposed that a 'cess' (a tax) was to be levied on the local population in order to support the upkeep of the new church. This was in spite of the fact that the majority did not subscribe to its denomination. Following much resistance and agitation the protestant Primate stepped into the breach in 1830, as D'Alton describes above. The upkeep of the church would be paid for by the Primate, and the tithes due to a parish called Ennismoth, or, as D'Alton calls it, 'Inismott' (Foley 2005 125-126). A tithe was an obligatory tax levied on the population to support the established church, regardless of whether or not the individual was a member. Following the "tithe war" this tax was amended from a direct tax on the population, to one on landlords whereby the cost of the tithe was incorporated into a tenant's rent payment.
It seems that the building itself was not constructed to the highest quality, with fears about its safety raised within four months of its opening. Remedial work to address a 'defect in its stonework' was necessary in the summer of 1832, only four years after its consecration. (Foley 2005, 126).
As alluded to previously, Foley provides considerable detail on the ecclesiastical life of the church for those interested, but here we will proceed ahead to the closure of the church. With disestablishment in 1871 the Church of Ireland was removed as the state religion and tithes were finally abolished. Obviously, this had a significant impact on the finances of the new Church of Ireland. Following disestablishment, St. Mark's church fell further into a degree of 'decay' whereby the church was 'unfit for public worship' in 1878, with 'no funds' available for repair. It seems a private donor stepped into the breach and some repairs were made, but by 1895 the building again was in poor condition with 'the roof now defective, the window sashes rotten and the walls seriously cracked on the north and south sides' and there were 'no means' to effect a repair (Foley 2005, 130). A decline in worshipers at St. Peters had also removed the need for an 'overflow' church. With the entirety of the local protestant population able to easily fit in St. Peters, a 'chapel of ease' barely five minutes walk away was superfluous. It was in these circumstances that a decision was recorded in the Vestry minute book on 11 December 1895 to sell 'St Mark's Chapel of Ease for the sum of £350' (Foley 2005, 131) for use as a total abstinence hall.
Oliver Plunkett Hall and Beyond
In the 25 inch OS Map (Fig 5), dating from the early 20th century, there is no longer any mention of a church. Rather, the building is detailed as being a 'hall', indicating a change in use. Following the sale of St. Mark's the church became the center of a local abstinence society. Abstinence societies were set up to encourage people to abstain from alcohol, and can trace their roots to the Irish temperance reformer Fr Theobald Mathew (1790 - 1856) who led a mass campaign of alcohol abstention where, at its peak, hundreds of thousands if not millions 'took the pledge'. In the latter part of the 19th-century abstinence societies again increased in popularity with the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association being founded in 1898 (Durnin 2004, 202). To aid people in their efforts of sobriety societies attempted to provide alcohol-free activities, held lectures, trips and often had premises where people could meet and socialize. These abstinence halls were developed to facilitate alcohol free activity and as an alternative to public houses for socialisation - club houses in other words.
It seems that St. Marks was acquired by the Oliver Plunkett Total Abstinence Society who proceeded to rename the building accordingly. St. Mark's, formerly a protestant church, became 'Oliver Plunkett Hall' named after the Archbishop of Armagh, the Catholic Primate of All Ireland who was hung, drawn and quartered at Tyburn in 1681, having been found guilty by the English authorities of treason during the anti-Catholic hysteria of the so -called 'Popish Plot'. Deemed a martyr, St. Oliver Plunkett was subsequently canonised in 1975. His head remains on display today as a much venerated relic in St. Peter's Catholic Church on West Street Drogheda, a short walk from the site of St. Marks.
Aside from renaming the building, the Society also took on renovations necessitated by its already discussed dilapidation. These renovations were extensive. Aside from refurbishing the building, a sizable extension was also constructed, significantly increasing the size of the building. The extent of the extension can be clearly seen when one does a side by side comparison of the two OS maps (Fig 6).
On the left, the circa 1870 map clearly shows that the main part of the building, aside from what appears to be a protruding porch, is level with the three buildings, a Georgian red brick terrace, adjacent to it. On the later map on the right, circa early 20th century, we can see that the building has been significantly extended to beyond the gates of the neighboring terrace. This extension added twelve to fifteen feet to the length of the building and was met with considerable opposition by the occupants of the terrace, out of concern that the building would block light and darken their properties (Drogheda Independent 10th October 1896, 4). The Drogheda Independent reported on the question of the extension as follows:
'The difficulties which have unexpectedly arisen in the way of the Trustees who propose to extend the frontage of the newly acquired Temperance Hall in Fair-street, are to be regretted. Having acquired their new premises, this most admirable society established for the forwarding of the cause of Temperance, found that in order to utilise to its utmost; their new purchase, it would be necessary to take down the front and re-erect it on the line of the buildings on the west side, thus adding from twelve to fifteen feet to the length of their Hall. Under the 40th section of the Public Health Act this could not be done without the written consent of the Urban Sanitary Authority, which was applied for. The plans were laid before the Council, but though admitting the excellent aims of the Society, and, to some extent at least, that the proposed new front will add to the appearance of the street, our Urban Fathers would appear to have hesitated in granting the necessary permission for the extension of the Hall; It has been urged that some of the frontages on the east aide of the Hall will be inconvenienced if this permission be granted, as their houses will as a result be deprived of some of tho light their occupants now enjoy, and it would seem that this consideration it is that has made the Sanitary Authority hesitate about granting the permission which was asked by the Total Abstinence Society. It strikes us that the members of the Corporation if they believe as they must, that this Society for the promotion of Temperance is one calculated to confer very considerable benefits on the young men of the rising generation, should be actuated in arriving at a decision on this matter rather by the force of such consideration of general good, than by the promptings which an unwillingness to sanction an improvement which might possibly inconvenience one or two individuals, may urge. Should private rights be in any way trenched upon by the proposed action of the Total Abstinence Society, those aggrieved will have their legal remedy, which, we make no doubt , they will not hesitate to enforce' (Drogheda Independent 10th October 1896, 4).
The Drogheda Independent on 17 October 1896 and 24 October 1896 reported on the deliberations that Drogheda Corporation made as to their stance on the proposed extension. The Corporation eventually decided to adopt a neutral position, to neither give permission or deny it, and rather let anyone inconvenienced by the extension to seek their own private legal remedy. It would seem that no further impediment arose and the extension was constructed as planned.
In the above image (Fig 7) the extension is clearly distinguishable from the original church. The original portion of the building is coloured white and the multiple story extension grey. A, clearly ecclesiastical, lancet window is visible towards the rear of the building, there would have been another on the other side of the church. In the image below (Fig 8) it is clear to see how far the extension brought the building forward and why residents of the red brick terrace were concerned at how the, then three story, extension would cast a shadow upon the front of their properties, darkening them considerably.
The Hall appears to have been very well equipped, but the renovations, extension and furnishing of the building resulted in considerable debt, necessitating public appeals and fundraising concerts, as the Drogheda Argus and Leinster Journal reported in 1904:
'It is questionable if in Ireland there is a Temperance Hall so admirably equipped as the one situated in Fair street. The lecture hall is admirably suited for its purpose. There is, in addition, a billiard room, reading room, recreation room, and a well supplied temperance bar at which bread, butter, tea and coffee etc, can be supplied at reasonable rates to those patronizing it... ...The accomplishment of all this has cost money, and a heavy debt presses upon the finances of this deserving institute. The Oliver Plunkett Society now appeal for the first time now for many years for support. For the success of that appeal they rely upon the justice, the strength, and nobility of the cause so dear to their hearts, and we are confident that the people of Drogheda will not fail them. We heartily wish the concert every success and promise those who attend it a rare musical treat.' (Drogheda Argus and Leinster Journal 2 January 1904, 4).
Tracing the history of the society is difficult, not least because there were a whole myriad of different abstinence or temperance societies in Drogheda at the time. Happily, this is beyond the remit of this article and great work has already been done on this subject (See Durnin P. (2004). Fifty Years of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association in St Peter's Parish, Drogheda 'For Thy greater glory'. Seanchas Ardmhacha: Journal of the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society, 20(1), 201-236).
As for Oliver Plunkett Hall itself, it continued to play an important role in the public life of Drogheda. A study of the local newspapers of the day reveals that it was used as a meeting and lecture hall by many different organisations, bother religious and lay for the following couple of decades. The Gaelic League were given free use of a room there (Drogheda Independent 21 October 1911, 5) and the Louth Archaeological Society held numerous lectures there on a variety of topics over the years. Presumably, it was also used for a variety of ongoing abstinence-related activities, however, not much remark is passed on these in the local papers. However, the primary activity for which the buildings was to be used for as the 20th century rolled on was that which occupied it for the next fifty or so years, the showing of films.
Oliver Plunkett Hall was first used as a cinema, or 'Picture Palace', in 1910, as the above advertisement (Fig 9) from the Drogheda Independent testifies. It seems that the operation of a cinema in those days had something of a 'pop up' character about it, with a portable projector set up and taken down, rather than the more permanent design with which we are familiar today. The Oliver Plunkett Hall became a more permanent cinema in 1919 when it opened as the 'Boyne Cinema'. Early in it's life in April of 1919 it was the scene of an interesting happening where the Royal Irish Constabulary raided the cinema and suppressed the airing of what they deemed to be a seditious film, the 'Sinn Féin Review'. An interesting account of this episode can be read on the excellent Early Irish Cinema website: https://earlyirishcinema.com/category/picture-houses/boyne-cinema-drogheda/
The Boyne Cinema operated under the proprietorship of a Joe Stanley, with Bob Roden as the projectionist. The cinema was powered by a steam engine, then a diesel one before finally being connected to electricity in the 1950s (Drogheda Independent 16 February 2011). It had a capacity of approximately 400 and continued as the 'Boyne Cinema' until it was renamed under new management as 'The Savoy' in 1954 before closing in 1960 (Drogheda Independent 4th March 2005). Great memories remain among the older population of Drogheda of attending the cinema, affectionately known as the 'flea pit', in their youth. I would ask any readers who care to share their memories of the cinema to please do so in the comment section below, it would be greatly appreciated.
It seems the abstinence community retained some interest in the building over these years as in 1942 they expressed concern that a sign over the door of the cinema bearing the name of the Total Abstinence Association had been removed (Durnin 2004, 227), even though at this time it had been the 'Boyne Cinema' for over twenty years. After it closed in 1960 it seems the building was used for industrial purposes before disaster struck in 1967 and the building, then “Doran Packaging Company” was destroyed by fire, as reported in the Drogheda Independent on the 26th May 1967;
Extensive damage was caused by a fire which swept through Doran Packaging Company in Fair Street, Drogheda, on Sunday night. Fire brigades from Drogheda and Dundalk tried hard to save the three-story building, but the high winds which fanned the fire rendered this impossible. The brigades did, however, succeed in preventing it from spreading to an adjacent home and store yard.
The outlook was first noticed around 7:30 p.m. by a young boy who was playing in Fair Street. Seeing smoke coming from the factory, he notified a local publican, Mr. jack Lynch, who telephoned the fire brigade. Shortly afterwards, the roof collapsed as hundreds of people gathered to watch the blaze and police diverted traffic from the area.
At the height of the fire, Mrs. Fintan Kierans, who lives beside the factory, rushed her two children, Fiona (6) and Gavan (3) to safety. They left the children with neighbours Mr. and Mrs. Brendan Byrne, and then ran back to the house to salvage some personal possessions but couldn’t get it as there was so much smoke.
Three vans and two lorries, the property of the Harry Allen Group of Companies which were stored in the adjoining yard were taken away by workmen. They were not damaged.
A sad end.
The Remains Today
But what of the remains today? It seems clear that the remains depicted in Fig 1 of the doorways and windows are of the 'extension' erected by the Abstinence Society and are not of the original St. Mark's Church. There is some evidence to suggest that they may have used, in the building of the extension, some of the original material and copied the look of the church. For instance, the Drogheda Independent article quoted earlier in this piece speaks of the facade being taken down and re-erected. Foley suggests that 'it is very likely that the stone and design were reused for the entrance to the new building' (Foley 2005, 131). However, we cannot be sure.
A comparison of a picture of the front of the cinema (Fig 10) to the sparse remains today does allow us to identify some features of the facade of the extension, and, I would suggest, some of the original church.
Above (Fig 11) we can clearly identify the door on the right, the central door and a window on the left. While these may be similar to how the original church looked, and even use the same material, these are undoubtedly the remains of the Oliver Plunkett Hall extension.
Above (Fig 12) we can see the most significant remnant of the extension.
Here (Fig 13) we can see the 'interior view' of the remains of the extension.
Above (Fig 14) we can see what I would suggest are possibly the only 'original' remains of St. Mark's Church. The white wall at the side of the terrace proceeding towards the blue clothing bin where it reduces to half height roughly covers the length of the original church. I would suggest these are, or at least contain, remnants of the original wall. There are a number of factors that suggest this. Firstly, the wall is not the original side wall of the house, it is built differently and of different material. It is clearly differentiated and separate from the building. It is possible that the original wall was demolished and the current one erected as a buttress for the building, but this seems very unlikely as the remnants of the extension are attached to it. Secondly, the latter portion of the half-height section increases in thickness as it terminates, suggesting it formed part of a building, rather than merely a garden wall.
It is sad that such little remains of a much-storied and fondly remembered building. Perhaps in time the little that remains could be tidied up, appropriately secured and a small plaque affixed to inform passersby of the provenance of what remains. This would be easily and cheaply achieved, and would elevate what is now a sad sight into something that improves the look of the streetscape. It would certainly make an interesting alternative to the normal featureless concrete car park wall.
Bibliography
“A Brief History of St. Peter’s Church of Ireland, Drogheda - St Peter’s Church of Ireland, Drogheda.” St. Peter’s Church of Ireland, drogheda.armagh.anglican.org/history. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020.
Burns, Tommy. St. Oliver Plunkett Journey to Sainthood. Rev. ed., Drogheda, Tommy Burns, 2019.
D’Alton, John. The History of Drogheda, with Its Environs; and an Introductory Memoir of the Dublin and Drogheda Railway. [With Plates.] Vol 1. British Library, Historical Print Editions, 2011.
Drogheda Argus and Leinster Journal: 2 January 1904 accessed via www.IrishNewsArchive.com.
Drogheda Independent: 10th October 1896, 17 October 1896, 24 October 1896, 22 October 1910 & 21 October 1911 accessed via www.IrishNewsArchive.com.
Durnin, Peter. “Fifty Years of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association in St Peter’s Parish, Drogheda ’For Thy Greater Glory.” Seanchas Ardmhacha: Journal of the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society, vol. 20, no. 1, 2004, pp. 201–36. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27729972.
EarlyIrishCinema. “Boyne Cinema (Drogheda) –.” Early Irish Cinema, 19 July 2019, earlyirishcinema.com/category/picture-houses/boyne-cinema-drogheda. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020
Foley, Dermot. “Saint Mark’s Church, Fair Street, Drogheda.” Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society, vol. 26, no. 1, 2005, pp. 122–33. JSTOR, doi:10.2307/27729972.
Gerrard, Richard. A History of St. Peter’s National School, Bolton Street, Drogheda. Ireland, St. Peter’s National School, Bolton Street, Drogheda, 2011.
“Hughes History to Be Re-Released.” Drogheda Independent, 13 Dec. 2002, www.independent.ie/regionals/droghedaindependent/localnotes/hughes-history-to-be-re-released-27118048.html. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020
Matthews, Brendan. “A Penny for the Pictures.” Drogheda Independent, 30 Nov. 2012, www.independent.ie/regionals/droghedaindependent/news/a-penny-for-the-pictures-27153992.html. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020
---. “When Town Was Portrayed in a Dim Light.” Drogheda Independent, 4 Dec. 2012, www.independent.ie/regionals/droghedaindependent/lifestyle/when-town-was-portrayed-in-a-dim-light-27161671.html. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020
“Town Boasts First Purpose Built Cinema in Ireland.” Drogheda Independent, 24 Nov. 2012, www.independent.ie/regionals/droghedaindependent/localnotes/town-boasts-first-purpose-built-cinema-in-ireland-27102186.html. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020
Maps and Satellite Images
https://www.heritagemaps.ie/WebApps/HeritageMaps/index.html (25 Inch OS Map).
"Drogheda," held by Ordnance Survey Ireland. © Public domain. Digital content: © Ordnance Survey Ireland, published by UCD Library, University College Dublin http://digital.ucd.ie/view/ucdlib:41342 (1870 OS Map)
https://www.google.com/earth/ (Satellite images).
https://www.google.com/maps (Streetview image).