St. Anne’s Church

Baptismal Font

Our font came from the original St. Mary’s Church that stood on this site until it was destroyed by a fire in the Siege of Cork in 1690. The font, dated to 1629, survived and was placed in the new church of St. Anne’s. For almost 400 years the waters of the font have welcomed the newly baptised into the family of God. One of the most famous baptisms was that of Mary Aikenhead who went on to found the Irish Sisters of Charity.

Stained Glass Windows

There are five stained glass wiondows throughout the church depicting various scenes from scripture. The most striking is the window above the altar on the east wall that greets visitors as they enter the church. It depicts the “Transfiguration of Jesus” and is attributed to Mayer and Co. of Munich.
Another beautiful window is “The Good Samaritan” window found to the right of the pulpit on the south wall and erected in 1882.

The unique oculus style memorial window of “St. Luke Healing” near the nave of the church is a striking example of modern stained glasswork attributed to artist Hubert McGoldrick of the cooperative studio An Túr Gloine studio based in Dublin from 1903-1944.

Monuments

The walls of the church interior are adorned with memorials to families associated with the church including one commemorating George Benson, a curate of the parish who died in1832 a victim of the cholera outbreak. Another is dedicated to the Downes family, typical of many Irish families, who have sent their children far and wide. The tablet records the deaths of five sons, in New York, London, The South Seas, Bombay and the Cape of Good Hope. On the west wall is a beautiful black marble memorial inlaid with brass to the Wise family—founders of Cork Distillery.

WWI memorial monument and Honour Roll

The memorial is one of the finest of its time and was designed by Caulfield Orpen in Dublin. It consists of thee marble panels. The centre panel has a mosaic of St. George in full armour, holding a lance bearing his banner and a drawn sword. The side panels have gilded edges, and bear the names of the fallen.

To the left of the monument is the “St. Luke’s School Roll of Honour” which remembers the brave courage of 179 boys and men, past pupils of the school, who lost their lives fighting in World War I. The memorial has been displayed with pride in the school since 1918 and features artwork and writing delicately completed by hand and is displayed in a beautiful solid wooden frame, with a gilded gold edge. It was given by the school (part of our parish) to St. Anne’s to display.

Organ

The organ in St. Anne’s Church was built by T.W. Magahy & Sons of Cork. In the gallery of the church you can see this magnificent instrument which features over 900 pipes and is still played every Sunday!

The original organ would have been much smaller and was hand-pumped by a person employed as a Bellow Blower. In 1901 a new, bigger organ was powered by an hydraulic or water system with an engine and the system was housed in the tower. Sound was made by air blowing through the pipes but the power to make the air came through water rather than bellows.

You can still see the structure on the first floor of the tower today. At a later stage, the system was changed to an electric pneumatic system which is much easier to play.

History Banners throughout the church

To commemorate the 300th anniversary of St. Anne’s Church the Shandon Area History Group created a series of exhibition boards that provide the stories behind the building itself as well as the surrounding Shandon neighbourhood. They detail the history of St. Anne’s Church from the time of St. Mary’s Shandon up to the present day and include details about the Green Coat School, Skiddy’s Almshouse and more. The boards are on display around the church interior.

St. Anne’s Churchyard

Outside the church you will find many interesting monuments as well. On the left of the church is the resting place of the Mahony family, including Francis Mahony (Fr. Prout) who penned the famous song ‘The Bells of Shandon’. Francis was the second child of Martin Mahony, son of Timothy Mahony – the founder of the Blarney Woolen Mills. Francis was ordained a priest in 1832 and appointed Chaplin of the North Infirmary (now the Maldron Hotel) and devoted himself to working with the stricken during the outbreak of cholera. He eventually left the priesthood to concentrate on writing. The name Fr. Prout comes from the name of a well learned but eccentric priest from Watergrasshill whom Mahony had admired.

The graveyard to the right at the bottom of Bob and Joan’s Walk, is now called Dr. Mary Hearn Park. Dr. Hearn was the wife of Robert T. Hearn, a rector of St. Anne’s from 1905 to 1939. She was known in the area for her generosity to the poor by way of offering her services for free to those whom she knew could not afford it, and regardless of denomination.

Behind St. Anne’s once stood the Greencoat School, built in 1716 for children of poor parents. Boys were taught reading writing and accounts, and girls were taught to knit sew and spin. Two statues, representing students of the school and the uniform of the day, ‘Bob & Joan’ once stood at the gates to the Greencoat school, They are now housed in the tower of St. Anne’s, and look pretty good for almost 300yrs old!

Behind Kinlay House is Skiddy’s Almshouse. Skiddy was a London wine merchant and native of Cork. In his will in 1584 he bequeathed a sum of £24 per year to the Mayor of Cork for 10 of the cities’ ‘honestest, poorest persons aged 50+’ to be housed in an Almshouse.