St. Doulagh
Posted by: 
Windsocker
N 53° 24.912 W 006° 10.707
29U E 687511 N 5922168
St. Doulagh's Church is located on Malahide Road, Balgriffin, Co Dublin, about three miles from the village of Malahide and six miles from Dublin city. It is the oldest stone-roofed church still in use for public worship in Ireland.
Waymark Code: WM310P
Location: Ireland
Date Posted: 01/22/2008
Views: 38
Founded by St. Doulagh who lived around 600ad. Of St. Doulagh who gave his name to the church very little is known.
It is the oldest stone
roofed church still in use in Ireland to date. The oldest part of
the church as it stands is medieval, dating from the 12th century.
However according to studies on the site it dates back to the time
of St. Patrick.
The old church is entered through that part of the church now
used for Divine Service which was built in 1864. The east end of
the church, dating from the mid-12th century, is vaulted, above
which is an attic room whose walls also serve to prevent the
steep-pitched stone roof from caving inwards.
The remainder of the church is of 15th century date. At its
centre is a room called 'The Hermit's Cell' which is reputed to be
the burial place of the founder, and it may contain parts of an
earlier cell. Doulagh was not free to wander as other people were.
He remained in his small, wooden cell, which was part of the church
that now bears his name, alone. He would have prayed each day and
dug his own grave as a sign of his mortality. Subsequent hermits
would have repeated this practice. The window in the west wall of
the building is said to be the location of the original window
where the hermit would place his plate in the hope that someone
would give him food. Even if he went hungry he still gave thanks to
God. One feature of the small cell which is very striking is the
large number of windows of which no two are the same size.
One of the floors connects with the croft or attic above the
east end, and above this room, called 'The Bishop's Room', is the
belfry. In a field about 100 yards to the north-east of the church
is a well, covered by an octagonal building (13th century);
according to tradition its interior walls were decorated with
pictures
In the 19th century there was some dispute over the existence of
St. Doulagh some thinking that he was in fact the 10th century
Viking god, Olave. However it is now known that he did exist. It
was also thought that the actual church may have been built by
Vikings but again it was proved due to the methods of construction
that the Irish built it. The features of the church were not those
of Viking structures.
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