placenamesMount Merrion
Cnoc Mhuirfean
Mount Merrion’s interwar housing, former estate buildings and Church of Saint Thérèse record successive changes in the use of the hilltop.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Cnoc Mhuirfean · Irish · main form · validated name
- Mount Merrion · English · main form
Place & story
Building the new neighbourhood
John Kenny and John du Moulin developed much of Mount Merrion’s housing during the 1930s, with Rupert Jones engaged as architect. Oliver Murphy’s local historical account describes the construction yard on The Rise producing bricks, concrete blocks, wall cappings and roof tiles. A narrow-gauge railway carried materials from the yard to individual building sites. Wide roads and low, white-capped brick boundary walls helped give the development its spacious appearance. [2]
A house becomes a chapel and school
In 1935, the Archbishop of Dublin acquired Mount Merrion House and some adjoining land. Parts of the house were adapted as a chapel dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and as Scoil San Treasa. The surviving premises subsequently became the community centre, refurbished and officially opened by President Mary McAleese in 2003. Their changing functions connect estate architecture with the institutions of the growing suburb. [3]
Saint Thérèse’s Church
The foundation for the present church was laid in 1953, and Archbishop John Charles McQuaid dedicated it on 19 February 1956. Parishioners supported the project through subscriptions and other fundraising events. The parish history records a Rose Book in the south-transept oratory naming contributors to the original construction and to the later renovation, preserving a record of the community effort behind the building. [3]
Renewing the building
The engineers who worked on the church’s refurbishment describe the replacement of its ground floor to accommodate underfloor heating and services for the baptismal font, ambo and altar. They also installed attic walkways so that lighting could be maintained from above. Completed as part of the 2006 refurbishment programme, the work preceded Archbishop Diarmuid Martin’s rededication of the church in February 2007. [4]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Mount Merrion. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Mount Merrion 300: Housing Development · Oliver Murphy / Mount Merrion Historical Society
- Parish History · Church of Saint Thérèse, Mount Merrion Parish
- Mount Merrion Church: refurbishment project · Thomas Garland & Partners / Garland
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2024-06-28. How this page was prepared.