A Brief History

The Church was consecrated on 21st September 1760 by the then Lord Archbishop of Dublin, Most Reverend Charles Cobb D.D.  It was built on the site of the ruined Church of St. Brendan, on the banks of the Santry River at Tonlegee Road and given the name of St. John the Evangelist.

At that time it served a small rural community, however now 250 years later, the area has seen dramatic changes and particularly over the last 30 years, with massive Urban Development Programme and a huge inward growth of new parishioners.

In 1820, the rector was Henry Moore, and from no later than 1837 to the 1860's, the office was held by William Maconchy, who is recorded as marrying Anna King at the parish church in 1823.

Coolock was eventually placed in Union with Raheny in 1960. The Rector of Raheny was appointed in charge of both in March 1960, and the union was completed when he became Rector of Coolock in July of that year. From then on, there was to be a rector in Raheny, a curate in Coolock (the first was appointed in 1963), two churches, and a shared school (now Springdale National School, Raheny). For over twenty years, the Select Vestries of the parishes were also united, but this ended in 1981.

The next rector of the United Parishes was Wilbert Kelly, appointed in 1970, and he was succeeded in 1975 by Cecil Wilson. The present rector is James Carroll.

Some famous Irish people from or associated with the area include the following:

Arthur Guinness from Beaumont House, Catherine MacAuley (Founder of the Sisters of Mercy), St. Brendan, Henry Grattan and Francis Caulfield (Second Earl of Charlemont).