Taney Parish facts for kids
The Parish of Taney (Irish: Teach Naithí) is a busy church area in the Church of Ireland. It is located in the Dundrum part of Dublin, Ireland.
Contents
History of Taney Parish
How Taney Started
Taney's story began with an early Irish saint named Nathi. In the 500s, he set up a place for monks to live and pray. This place might have been where St. Nahi's Church in Dundrum stands today. The name Taney likely comes from the Irish words Teach Nahi, meaning "Nahi's house". Another idea is that it comes from Tamhnach, which means "green field".
People were worshipping here long before the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169–1171. A church report from 1152 mentions Taney as a "Rural See" (a place where a local bishop had his seat). Later, a list from Rome called it "the Deanery of Tanhy".
When King Henry II gave the area of Leinster to Strongbow, Taney was one of the few places kept back. It was given to Hugh de Clahull, who later gave his Dublin lands to the Archbishop of Dublin. In 1179, a church document mentioned "the middle place of Tighney" with a church and three smaller chapels nearby. These chapels were in Donnybrook, Kilgobbin, and Rathfarnham.
In 1235, J. Matthew was the local church leader for Taney. Archbishop Luke (who served from 1228 to 1255) made Taney a special part of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Until 1851, the main leaders of the Dublin church, called Archdeacons, were also the Rectors of Taney. This meant that other priests, called curates, mostly looked after the parish.
Taney and the Church of Ireland
At some point between the time of King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, Taney Parish became part of the Church of Ireland. This was the official state church. The old Catholic traditions of the area later joined with another parish, overseen from Booterstown.
In 1546, records show that the Taney church area had an income of 19 pounds a year. This money paid the local priest. By 1615, Archbishop Thomas Jones reported that the church and its main area were in good condition. He also said that prayer books were available.
By 1630, the church was in poor condition. Only two families attended services, as most local people were still Catholic. In 1758, Jeremy Walsh became the priest. He oversaw the rebuilding of Taney Church in 1760. A special cup, called a chalice, from that time is still kept there. The new church building was officially opened on June 8, 1760.
The parish school seems to have started around 1787. Old records from 1791 help us learn about the people and activities in the parish over time.
Building Christ Church
In 1802, Taney was still an important church area. It included churches in Kilgobbin, Rathfarnham, Stillorgan, Crumlin, and Tallaght. As more people moved to Dundrum and Churchtown, the old church became too small. By 1809, people were talking about building a new, bigger church.
The idea for the new church, which would become Christ Church, was first discussed in 1809. Money was borrowed, and the decision to build was made in 1814. The design was based on a new church in Monkstown. Construction started in mid-1815. More money was raised by selling seats in the church, as the building went over budget.
Christ Church was finished and opened in 1818. It was smaller than the building you see today. In 1824, money was spent on a room for meetings, a large bell, and a house for the church caretaker. In 1829, a school for young children was started. Part of the old church was turned into a boys' school. A girls' school was set up in a small house near the graveyard. In the 1830s, improvements were made to the roof of Christ Church. A new section for seating was added in 1833.
Taney Becomes Independent
In 1850, a hospital for people with mental health issues opened. When Taney became an independent parish in July 1851, the priest of Taney also became the chaplain for this hospital. This change meant that the Archdeacons of Dublin no longer held the main church roles in Taney.
The first full-time priest (rector) of Taney was Andrew Bredin. In 1859, church services for the eastern part of the parish began in a small house in Stillorgan. This was because the parish was growing. William Hamilton became the rector in 1867. He led the parish until 1895.
At Christ Church, a beautiful stained-glass window was put in in March 1871. A new organ was also bought. After all building debts were paid off, Christ Church was fully dedicated by the Archbishop of Dublin on June 10, 1872. By 1873, the small house in Stillorgan was too small for the growing church group. The Earl of Pembroke offered land in Mount Merrion. After raising money, the third church for the modern parish, St. Thomas', was built there in 1874. It started as a smaller church used for services.
In 1895, the old St. Nahi's Church was not being used, but services started there again in the early 1900s. Also in 1895, John J. Robinson became rector. He oversaw the building of the parish hall from 1897 to 1898.
In 1897, a new Church of Ireland School was built. All parish school activities moved there. This became a National School in 1898. A parish magazine was also started in 1898. By the early 1900s, Taney Parish included many areas like Balally, Ballinteer, Churchtown, and Dundrum.
Taney Parish from 1900 to 1956
In 1901, W. Monk Gibbon became the rector. He served for over 34 years. He also started a local Boys' Brigade group in Dundrum. This group was later replaced by Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in 1922. The school was made bigger in 1905. In 1909, services at St. Nahi's Church stopped because the roof was unsafe. The rector led a lot of repair work on the old church, including new floors and seats. The main rebuilding was finished in 1910.
A. W. F. Orr was rector from 1935 until 1958. In 1945, a special meeting was held to help restart parish groups. Sixteen groups were started or brought back to life.
Mount Merrion Parish Separates
St. Thomas's Church became the main church for a new parish called Mount Merrion in 1956. Trevor Hipwell, who was a senior priest in Taney, became its first rector. A new house for the rector was built next to the church. In 1965, the church was made bigger. In 1994, Mount Merrion Parish joined with the Parish of Booterstown. These two parishes now share a rector and an office. Services are held at both churches.
Taney Parish from 1956 to Today
Walter Burrows became rector in 1959. In 1968, the old school from 1897 was replaced by a new one. Desmond Sinnamon became rector in 1983. After some discussion, it was decided in 1989 to sell the old Parish Hall. This raised a lot of money (433,000 pounds). A new Parish Centre was built in the church grounds. The first stone for the new centre was blessed on November 11, 1990. The centre, with classrooms and offices, was finished in September 1991. The President of Ireland opened it on November 21, 1991.
A lot of work was also done on the Parish National School in the late 1900s. At the start of the new millennium (year 2000), Taney Parish was bordered by Milltown to the north and Goatstown to the east. With over 800 families and more than 2,000 members, Taney is now the largest Church of Ireland parish in Ireland by number of people.
Also in 2000, Christ Church was chosen to receive the old set of bells from St. George's Church in Dublin City.
Desmond Sinnamon finished his 29 years as rector in 2012. A hall inside the church was named after him. Canon Robert Warren took over as rector from 2012 until 2021. In 2021, Rev. Nigel Pierpoint became the new rector. He had previously served as a deacon and curate at Christ Church, Taney.
Christ Church Organ
The organ at Christ Church Taney was first built by Forster and Andrews. However, most of its current pipes come from an organ made by Telford. This Telford organ was first put in Christ Church, Bray in the 1800s. Then it moved to St. Paul's, Bray. When St. Paul's was no longer used, the organ was brought to Taney in 1989. Kenneth Jones and Associates installed it. Most of the original Forster and Andrews pipes were removed or used in other projects.
Organ Details
- Great: Open Diapason 8, Stopped Diapason 8, Principal 4, Harmonic Flute 4, Fifteenth 2, Mixture II-III, Tremulant.
- Swell: Stopped Diapason 8, Salicional 8, Voix Celeste 8, Principal 4, Stopped Flute 4, Fifteenth 2, Mixture II, Trumpet 8, Oboe 8.
- Pedal: Open Diapason 16, Subbass 16, Trombone 16.
- Couplers: Swell to Great, Swell to Pedal, Great to Pedal
Images for kids
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Christ Church, the main Parish Church
