1. St Patrick’s Church, Dundalk
From the Famine to the Second Vatican Council

2. St Patrick’s Video

3. Old St Patrick’s
The first St. Patrick's was built in 1750 in Chapel St. This church served the needs of the people for almost a century. From 1843 it was used as a school and became the property of the Irish Christian Brothers from 1867.

4. New St Patrick’s
Fr. Matthew McCann (P.P ) acquired the present site for St Patrick's in 1834.
The cost of this beautiful church was €25,000 and it took 12 years to build.

5. Interior
St Patrick's is built of Newry granite and was designed in the style of King's College chapel, Cambridge. Its style is pointed Gothic. Inside, St Patrick's measures 144 ft. x 72 ft (44m x 22m). It has one long nave and 2 aisles, finely chiselled granite pillars and a "ribbed vaulting" type of roof which was inspired by English Monastic architecture. Exeter Cathedral is thought to have provided the inspiration for the interior of St Patrick's.

6. Altar & Sanctuary
One of the outstanding features of the church is the splendid mosaic sanctuary walls, which is reckoned to be some of the best work ever done by Ludwig Openheimer & Co. of Old Trafford, Manchester. This work was begun in 1909 at a cost of £2,000.

7. Bell Tower
The campanile & tower was erected by Fr. M.J. Quin (Adm ) in The tower was the gift of Mrs. Julia Hamill of Seatown in memory of her late husband John Hamill.

8. St Patrick’s today…

9. Restoration Work 1997

10. Carvings

11. Now & Then…

12. Historical Milestones
On the 1st January 1842 St Patrick's was opened for divine worship and Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator of Irish Catholics attended Mass in St Patrick's on that day.

13. Eucharistic Congress 1932
On Tuesday 25th June 1932, Cardinal Lauri, Papal Legate to the Irish Eucharistic Congress, visited St. Patrick's accompanied by Monsignor Spellman, later Cardinal Archbishop of New York.

14. Second Vatican Council
The Sanctuary of St Patrick’s was adapted to meet the needs of Vatican II. It was further renovated in 1997.

15. St Patrick’s today…
St Patrick’s continues to be a focal point for events in Dundalk as well as being a functioning Church.