Donabate Parish Hall
Photo credit: Donabate Parish Hall, courtesy of Mick Mongey
From the early part of the 18th century, when bishops and regular clergy were banned under penal laws, secular clergy served the parish of Donabate from a mass house. This mass house was replaced in 1804 by a church built on land donated by the Lord Trimleston, a Catholic and member of the Barnewall family of Turvey House. The church subsequently became the Parish Hall, a hub of local community activity where the Library Committee for Donabate was established in 1906. An anti-conscription meeting was held there in 1918 and over the years the hall has hosted dances, concerts, garden produce displays and dog shows. In the 1940s a boxing club trained and held tournaments there under the direction of a Mr Warrington. The hall also provided the initial office for the Donabate and District Credit Union when it opened in 1968.
Photo credit: Donabate Roman catholic churches, old and new, courtesy of Mick Mongey
Did you know...
In 1923 the hall was described as cold and cheerless. Locals organised a football tournament, Cinderella dances and gift sales resulting in a new floor and new piano. The hall became so busy that bookings were hard to get.
Find out more
Peadar Bates 2001, Donabate & Portrane-a History.
Donabate-Portrane Heritage Audit https://www.fingal.ie/sites/default/files/2023-03/Donabate%20Portrane%20Heritage%20Audit%20Report%20FINAL%2019.09.2022.pdf
