Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, Catholic church in Ballyfermot, Dublin, Ireland
The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic church in Ballyfermot, Dublin, next to St. Raphael's National School. It was designed by Robinson, Keefe and Devine and built by John Hughes & Son, with work starting in May 1951. Its mahogany seats cost £10,000, and in 1952 it had a seating capacity of 1,980.
The first church in Ballyfermot was a former Dublin Corporation paint depot on O'Hogan Road, bought by Father Donal O'Scannaill around 1950 for £200 and used until 1953. Work on the permanent church, designed by Robinson, Keefe and Devine and built by John Hughes & Son, started in May 1951 and cost £68,000.
The church's name comes from a wooden shed on O'Hogan Road, nicknamed the 'Stew House', where the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul served soup to the needy. Our Lady's of Victories Youth Club also began in that shed. The 'Buy a Block' campaign let donors pay £1 in instalments of 6d a week and receive a souvenir receipt for one cement block.
The church stands at the roundabout where Kylemore Road and Ballyfermot Road meet, beside St. Raphael's National School. It opened in 1953 and seats 1,980 people, so it fills quickly for large parish occasions. The building is reached from the roundabout; the sources give no details on step-free access or opening hours.
The 'Buy a Block' campaign sold cement blocks at £1 each; 3,300 were sold, and buyers who could not pay at once settled in instalments of 6d a week. Each received a souvenir receipt stating they owned one block in the church.
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