Stories of Old St Canices

Stories of Old St Canices – The Evolution of the Medieval Church

November 26, 2024

Stories from Old St Canice’s: The Evolution of the Medieval Church

Archaeologist Paul Duffy discusses the evolution of the Medieval Church here at St Canices.

In this episode archaeologist Paul Duffy explores medieval church building in Dublin and provides an insight into his re-examination of the church ruins at St Canices.

Welcome to Old St Canice’s Church and Graveyard in Finglas, Dublin. Today St Canice’s, locally referred to as the abbey, offers a leafy, tranquil space at the historic heart of Finglas village. It was first established as a monastery in the 6th century by St Canice, who is perhaps better known as the founder of Kilkenny, the site today consists of a ruined stone church and an unusual High Cross set in a graveyard sheltered from the outside world by trees.

This sheltered spot has a whole host of stories to tell. This special limited podcast series will explore these stories in depth. Archaeologist Neil Jackman, will be joined by leading experts, specialists and the local community who discuss the site and its importance, and the challenges to preserve this significant local landmark for future generations.

In this third episode, we are joined by archaeologist Paul Duffy, who has been re-examining the church here at St Canice’s. Dublin was once home to many medieval parish churches. Sadly none of the early city churches survive. Paul’s archaeological research has helped to recover evidence for what these churches looked like. During a visit to St. Canice’s, he was amazed to discover that, on close inspection, the church has features that point to it being built in the 11th century. Paul discusses what these features are and where they can be seen as well as comparable sites in Dublin and Wicklow. He also discusses how the church evolved over the centuries.

STORIES FROM OLD ST CANICE’S PODCAST

Title: Part 3: The Evolution of the Medieval Church

Duration: 40 minutes

Summary:

In this episode archaeologist Paul Duffy re-examines the church ruins here at St Canice’s and discusses the evolution of the church through the centuries.

Stories from Old St Canices Show Notes

You can find out more information about St Canice’s and its history on our interactive Story Map here.

This podcast was created by Abarta Heritage supported by Dublin City Council, and funded by Community Monuments Fund 2024 from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.