St. Michael’s Church has a long and storied history, with its original location outside the walls of Limerick, on what is now a street off St. James’s Street, running parallel to Michael Street.
St. Michael’s is one of the five original parishes of Limerick City. The Down Survey of the 1650s describes the area as desolate, noting:
“a partly ruined castle and mill seat at Beall na Corrie (Ballinacurra); a few thatched cabins; the Priors mill near the churchyard and a few gardens belonging to the vicar and Archdeacon and some city gentlemen.”
The original medieval church was dismantled after the Cromwellian Siege of 1651 and was in ruins by 1654. Today, only the graveyard of the original St. Michael’s remains.
In 1779, construction began on a new St. Michael’s Church, which opened on Denmark Street on September 29, 1801. The church was enlarged in 1805 and served more than just religious functions; it was a platform for Irish politician Daniel O’Connell, who used it for some of his rallies.
The original building was replaced in 1881 by the current structure, notable for the golden angel on top. Designed by Limerick architect Martin Morris, this new church reflects Morris’s architectural prowess, as seen in his other work, St. Mary’s Church in Cahir, County Tipperary, completed in 1888.
Here you can see a video of a communion ceremony which took place at St Michael’s Church in 1978
John Ferrar’s description of the old St. Michael’s Chapel in his ‘History of Limerick’ 1787
Is situated at Mardyke, and was opened for divine service (on St Michael’s day), the 29th of September 1781. The building is a good one, and the clergyman has a neat house and garden near the chapel.