Overview
Indicated — Rathfarnham is recorded as Mass-house in Dublin. St. Mary’s parochial house stands in a D-shaped site enclosed within a bend of the Owendore River. According to Paddy Healy (2004, 203) there was an ’old Chapel’ here which was replaced in 1878 by the Church of the Annunciation across the road.
Who lived here and when
The saved account records: In the hollow of this curve is a small, square, unroofed area believed to be the 17th century Mass house.
Homes and daily life
The saved account records: St. Mary’s parochial house stands in a D-shaped site enclosed within a bend of the Owendore River.
What was found
The saved account records: Two stone cross-shaped finials and a decorative wrought iron cross finial were found on the grounds of St Mary's presbytery near the present grotto.
Why it ended
The saved account records: According to Paddy Healy (2004, 203) there was an ’old Chapel’ here which was replaced in 1878 by the Church of the Annunciation across the road.
Why it mattered
Indicated — Rathfarnham matters because a belief or tradition is tied to this exact place and forms part of its local memory. The source records: In the hollow of this curve is a small, square, unroofed area believed to be the 17th century Mass house. The tradition is kept as a recorded belief; it is not silently turned into literal fact.
History checked 15 August 2026 against the named sources below.
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