Page 89 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Ireland

SOUTHWEST DUBLIN  87

of his family, including his wife’s w Marsh’s Library
parents. Other famous citizens
remem bered in the church St Patrick’s Close. Map B4. Tel 454
include the harpist Turlough 3511. Open 9:30am–5pm Mon &
O’Carolan (1670–1738) (see p28) Wed–Fri, 10am–5pm Sat. Closed Tue
and Douglas Hyde (1860–1949), & Sun, 10 days at Christmas & public
hols. & ∑ marshlibrary.ie
the first president of Ireland.
Many visitors come to see the
memorials associated with The oldest public library in
Jonathan Swift, the satirical Ireland was built in 1701 for the
writer and Dean of Saint Patrick’s. Archbishop of Dublin, Narcissus
In the south aisle is “Swift’s Marsh. It was designed by
Corner”, containing various Sir William Robinson, architect
memorabilia such as an altar of much of Dublin Castle (see
table and a bookcase holding pp80–81) and the Royal Hospital
his death mask. A self­penned Kilmainham (see p101).
epitaph can be found on the Inside, the bookcases are
wall on the southwest side of topped by a mitre and feature
the nave. A few steps away, two carved gables with lettering in Statue of Virgin and Child in Whitefriar
brass plates mark his grave and gold leaf. To the rear of the Street Carmelite Church
that of his beloved Stella, who library are wired alcoves (or
died before him in 1728. “cages”) where readers were e Whitefriar Street
At the west end of the nave is locked in with rare books. The Carmelite Church
an old door with a hole in it – a collection, from the 16th, 17th
relic from a feud which took and early 18th centuries, 56 Aungier St. Map C4.
place between the Lords Kildare includes irreplaceable volumes, Tel 475 8821. Open 7:45am–6pm
Mon & Wed–Sat; 8am–7:30pm Tue;
and Ormonde in 1492. The latter such as Bishop Bedell’s 1685 9:30am–7pm Sun & public hols.
took refuge in the Chapter translation of the Old Testa ment ∑ whitefriarstreetchurch.ie
House, but a truce was soon into Irish, and Clarendon’s
made and a hole was cut in the History of the Rebellion, complete Designed by George Papworth,
door by Lord Kildare so the two with anti­Scottish margin notes this Catholic church was
could shake hands in friendship. by Jonathan Swift. built in 1827. It stands along­
side the site of a medieval
Carmelite foundation of which
nothing remains.
In contrast to the two Church
of Ireland cathedrals, St Patrick’s
and Christ Church, which are
usually full of tourists, this church
is frequen ted by city worshippers.
Every day they come to light
candles to various saints, includ­
ing St Valentine – the patron
saint of lovers. His remains,
previously buried in the cemetery
of St Hippolytus in Rome, were
offered to the church as a gift
from Pope Gregory XVI in 1836.
Today they rest beneath the
commemorative statue of
St Valentine, which stands in
the northeast corner of the
church beside the high altar.
Nearby is a Flemish oak statue
of the Virgin and Child, dating
from the late 15th or early
16th century. It may have
belonged to St Mary’s Abbey
(see p97) and is believed to be
the only wooden statue of its
kind to escape destruction
when Ireland’s monasteries
were sacked at the time of the
Carved monument (1632) to the Boyle family in St Patrick’s Cathedral Reformation (see p42).

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