Saint Michael's Church , Limerick was built by Rev. Thady Lynch P.P. built a church on this site between 1779 (when the foundation stone was laid) and 1781 when the church was opened on 29 September 1781. Saint Michael's Church, Limerick has a stone in memory of Fr. Lynch in the south transept. The popular folklore spells that the The Arthur family owned the land on which the church was built and would not allow any houses to be built on the site. In 1881 this church was rebuilt . During the building of this new church human remains were found, which are believed to have belonged to the defenders of the city in 1690 during the siege of Limerick. The remains were re-interred under the altar to the Sacred Heart in 1881. While the church was being built, mass was said in the Town Hall from the summer of 1881 until Christmas Day 1882.The church is situated at the bottom of Chapel Lane but the entrance to the church is from Denmark St. The church was further enlarged in 1805. It is an Italianate church with Romanesque features.The Saint Michael's Church, Limerick is one of the most sought after tourist wonders in a devoutly catholic city of Limerick. Limerick like the rest of the Ireland is catholic dominant town, with the Town members following the Anglican church .
A church bell was acquired and was first used in the Saint Michael's Church, Limerick on January 1st 1815. One of the two Holy Water fonts at the side entrance shows the Archangel Michael slaying the Dragon while the other shows St. Christopher fording the river whilst holding the infant Jesus. The bell tower is capped by a very striking gilt representation of Satan being vanquished by the Archangel, St. Michael.As you walk into the church, there is a monument to the Crucifixion of Our Lord while to the left of this monument there is another statue of the Pieta. On the far wall on the church there is a small statue of Mary teaching Jesus to read. The stained glass windows in the church are plain.As you walk up the left-hand aisle of the church, there is a scaled model of St Michael's church. The second monument is to Patrick Arthur, and was erected after his death in 1779. Prior to the church renovations in 1881, the flagstone was over his grave in the centre of the church. The people of the parish erected the monument at a cost of £300.
On the left of the main altar there is a shrine to Pope Pius X. The baptismal font is also on this side of the altar. Over the main altar there is a large crucifix. To the right of the main altar is the tabernacle, which is on an altar donated by Mary O'Donovan and her late husband Anthony. This altar depicts a scene from the Last Supper. On the right hand side of the church, there is a print of the portrait of Blessed Oliver Plunkett and a picture of the Mother .
Many of the features in the original St. Michael's church were sent to Raheen and Donaghmore chapels in 1881. The two side altars in the church, the Sacred Heart and the Blessed Virgin Mary were both removed. The High Altar, the altar rails and the church bell were sent to Raheen chapel around this time too. In 1881 the three old font stones were removed into the sacristy where they can be still seen to this day. The three stones represent scenes from the Crucifixion and the Last Supper along with a stone commemorating Fr. Patrick Hogan.
Holy water fonts of the Madonna and Child, and of St Patrick In the mortuary chapel there are two Holy Water fonts: one of the Madonna and Child, the other of St. Patrick.
The interior of the church is today plain and simple but in the past the church was referred to as the 'chapel of statues' due to its large numbers of statues. Further renovations took place in Saint Michael's Church, Limerick during 1967/68. Nearly all the statues have been removed in the last 30 years. The high altar was similar to the altar in St. Joseph's parish church and its present whereabouts is unknown. The high altar stands on the site of the old sacristy from 1779. A side altar shows a scene from the Last Supper and may have once been part of the old high altar.Extensive records dating back to the establishment of the Saint Michael's Church, Limerick are kept in the sacristy of the church. There also exists in the sacristy an extensive collection of chalices and ciboria, which were donated by parishioners over the centuries.
The Saint Michael's Church, Limerick was probably originally built by the Normans as they had a great devotion to St Michael. It was likely to have been in the grounds of the graveyard that is now across the street from the Granary building in Michael St.. This church was in ruins by early in the seventeenth century and was totally dismantled prior to Cromwell's siege of 1651.The earliest mention of St. Michael's is in the Black Book of Limerick in 1205. It was originally a prebandal but this ended during the 13th century when it became part of the Archdeaconry of St. Mary's Cathedral in 1418. In 1735, Dr. Pierce Creagh arrived from Rome with a papal bull for the Catholic Archdeaconship of the parish. However, as the parish and its parishioners were so poor and could not support a priest, Dr. Creagh did not take the parish.
From 1781 to around 1816, the priests lived in Robert Street, which was next to the sacristy. The priests of the parish also lived in Sexton Street House. Each house was home for two priests. Edward Thomas O'Dwyer was a curate in the parish from c.1875 to 1886 and later became the Bishop of the diocese from 1886 until his death in 1917.The Saint Michael's Church, Limerick, is rich in history and is known allover Ireland for its architectural heritage and Culture.
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