This 13th century church is strikingly juxtaposed hidden to the rear of many industrial units built in the area of bluebell after the 1960s. The backdrop of manufacturing noise mixed in with the sound of birds chirping and ice-cream vans chiming ‘Teddy Bears Picnic’ as one walked across the graveyard lent itself to an interesting visit. The ancient church, of which only the west gable fully remains, was first recorded as being in use in 1254 and was originally the parish Church for the Drimnagh Castle estate, owned by the Barnwalls. The small church was in use until 1547 and the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The earliest of the graves that surround the church dates from 1713, there is a more modern cemetery situated beside the church with a lot of its dating from the late 19th and early 20th century, but they do run right up to the present day. What I found quite charming about this relatively modern cemetery was the wide arrange of grave markings that were used, many with an almost folk art quality, crafted out of wood, iron and various metals. I would highly recommend a visit to this cemetery, despite its setting it is an oasis of calm amid industrial hardness. Its hard to believe that the area of Bluebell was mainly a small rural farming community on the outskirts of Dublin until the 1950s but this graveyard gives us a glimpse into that past.

GPS: 53.33003, -6.34067