St. Marys Chapel of Ease, Dublin, Gothic Revival church in Broadstone, Ireland
St. Marys Chapel of Ease is a Gothic Revival church in the Broadstone area of Dublin, built from local limestone that gradually darkens with exposure to the weather. The building has a tower and pointed arch windows typical of early 19th-century church construction in Ireland.
The chapel opened in 1830 on land provided by Viscount Mountjoy, built to give worshippers in outlying parts of the parish a closer place to attend church. It served as an overflow from St. Mary's on Mary Street as the city expanded northward.
The chapel appears in James Joyce's novel Ulysses, linking Dublin's religious spaces to the city's modern literary heritage. This literary connection draws readers and literature enthusiasts interested in Joyce's depictions of the city.
The building is no longer used as a church and now has a different function, so it is worth checking in advance whether the interior can be visited. The exterior is freely visible from the street at any time and offers a good view of the stonework and tower.
The interior of the chapel has a parabolic vault where the walls curve smoothly upward to meet the ceiling, rather than rising in straight lines. This type of vaulting is unusual in Irish churches and gives the space a very different feel from a standard nave.
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