Church of St. John the Baptist

Ruinous remains of freestanding Church of Ireland church, built c. 1610 incorporating earlier fabric, having four-bay nave with entrance porch to west end, west gable rising to form bell-cote, and with north transept. Roofless, with evidence for pitched roof. Pediment to bellcote, having cut stone coping and square-headed opening for bell. Rubble stone walls. Round-headed window openings, with cut limestone voussoirs and sill to porch window, red brick reveals to others, steel bars. Pointed arch door opening to north elevation of nave with rubble stone voussoirs and steel bars. Round-headed door opening to porch, having chamfered sandstone surround, and steel gate. Round-headed door opening to south elevation of nave with rubble stone voussoirs and steel gate. Gravestones and slabs to interior. Set in graveyard, to west side of Castle Avenue, to northeast of Clontarf Castle.

It was indicated as 'in ruins' as early as the third edition Ordnance Survey map (published 1907), but nonetheless the considerable remains create an interesting focal point in the graveyard and a notable landmark visible from Castle Avenue.

In 1827 Samuel Lewis described this church as 'a small neat edifice with an elevation above the western entrance perforated for a bell'. The bellcote is extant, but the church had become too small for the growing Church of Ireland congregation of Clontarf by the 1850s and it fell into disrepair following the construction in 1866 of the new, and larger Church of St. John the Baptist on Seafield Road West. It was indicated as 'in ruins' as early as the third edition Ordnance Survey map (published 1907), but nonetheless the considerable remains create an interesting focal point in the graveyard and a notable landmark visible from Castle Avenue. A structure of some antiquity, it replaced an earlier church on the site in the early seventeenth century. It was the parish church of Abraham and Charlotte Stoker, who lived in Marino Crescent and the parish records indicate their son Bram was baptised on 30th December 1847.

It was indicated as 'in ruins' as early as the third edition Ordnance Survey map (published 1907), but nonetheless the considerable remains create an interesting focal point in the graveyard and a notable landmark visible from Castle Avenue.