I have visited the Rock of Dunamase on a number of occasions over the last few years, each time has always been a pleasure. So on my recent trip around County Laois, I decided to have a look around its much over looked neighbour, The Holy Trinity Church. No it is not the usual ruin that I would normally explore, in fact it is not even a ruin, but considering its close proximity to The Rock I wanted to have a look around. The small granite church and graveyard which are both still in use today, was built back in 1845 after the church at nearby Dysart was destroyed by fire. It belongs to the Church of Ireland and was never consecrated until 1849, supposedly due to the famine. I always wondered, was there an older religious site here? Considering the historical significance of its neighbour this would be quite plausible, however I have not been able to find any records to suggest that there was anything here prior to 1845.
In 1909 the church was badly damaged after being struck by lightning. In 1948 a centenary service was held to mark its 100th year. Then in 1998 the church was visited by the president of Ireland Mary McAleese. The last major event here was in the year 2000, where the millennium celebration was marked with a tree planting ceremony in the graveyard. Whilst I was here, the church was not open so I was unable to see the inside which is said to have a number of really good stained glass windows. It is worth stopping of to check out if you’re in the area, even for the graveyard which contains a number of interesting headstones. And then you can also check out the Rock of Dunamase from which there are stunning views of the surrounding countryside and a fascinating history to explore.
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beautiful imagery
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Thank you Rajiv 🙂
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Another great article! How do you make the sky and the clouds look like that?!!
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Its a little bit of a tweaked Infra Red conversion in Photoshop. But it only works when you get a good blue sky and nice fluffy clouds. Only works on certain images though 🙂
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I wish I’d had more time to explore that little church.. It was so appealing.. Ahh well. next time.. In the meantime I can be there in your photos 🙂
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Ah Thanks Livonne, so glad you liked it 🙂
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Reblogged this on Journey Of A Nifty Day Trader.
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great shot, contast and light in great balance
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Why Thank you 🙂
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lovely simple lines on this wee church – and a great contrast looking through to the rock behind
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And much over looked 🙂
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I particularly love the shot of the bell tower against the sky. Awesome stuff.
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Spooky and intimidating! Excellent photos!
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LOL, Thank you 🙂
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Hi Ed, I’ve been meaning to ask you for some time, would you be interested in being a guest blogger on “Life in Russia”. I’ve been wondering if there are any old bridges in your area that you would be willing to shoot for the post? Or if you have another idea…….. Anyway if you are interested please let me know. Thanks, Steve
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Thanks Steve, I would be delighted. As luck would have it, my town has a rather large amount of bridges and is known as the Venice of Ireland because of this. Is there anything in particular you would like or format ? PM me and we can discuss further 🙂
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Reblogged this on Jtuaim's Blog and commented:
Here’s a photographer with his sleeves rolled up. Muddy shoes too. A kind of photojounalism we should embrace, and learn from.
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Hi Ed, I live so close and have never visited the church, will now, great photos 👍JB
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Cool, let me know if you manage to get a look inside, it was closed every time I visited 🙂
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Reblogged this on James Blennerhassett.
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I love that the photo’s have an eerie quality to them. Kind of seems fitting for an old church and graveyard. Great job 🙂
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Thank you Tracey, so glad that you liked them 🙂
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