Situated on Clancy’s Strand St Munchin’s Church was built in 1922 to replace the older chapel of the same name. The picture below shows both St Munchin’s Church and Chapel, the earlier chapel was built in 1799, this was built on a yet earlier chapel which was erected in 1744, this was the first Catholic Chapel built in Limerick City after the Reformation.
Who was St Munchin’s Church named after
The church was named after St. Munchin the patron saint of Limerick. The name comes from “little monk” as the Saint’s original name has been lost with time.
It is interesting that Limerick has St Munchin as the patron saint of the city as folklore tells us that while Munchin was building his church he asked some locals to help. They laughed at him and walked on, then some visitors to the city passed and he asked for their help. As these strangers to the city assisted the saint he put a curse on the city that the “Stranger shall flourish while the native shall perish”.
Even so, there are now two churches (a Roman Catholic and a Church of Ireland), a parish, and a number of schools dotted around the city in honour of a man who supposedly cursed the people who chose him as their patron.
John Ferrar’s description of the old St. Munchin’s Chapel in his ‘History of Limerick’ 1787
Was built in the year 1744, near Thomond bridge, on the north strand. A few years after St Patrick’s chapel was built at Pennywell, chiefly at the expense of Mr Harrold; that are both plain buildings, and contain nothing remarkable.