Christ Church (Inishmacsaint)

An elegant and well-composed mid-nineteenth century Church of Ireland church that retains its early form and architectural character. Well-maintained, it also retains its fittings including early quarry glazed windows that add to its architectural integrity. It is well-built using broken coursed sandstone and has good quality cut and dressed stone detailing throughout, particularly to the bellcote, the copings, the buttresses and to the openings. The use of pale polychromatic sandstone for the masonry/dimension stone and of crisp grey granite for the dressings to the openings creates a pleasing tonal and textural variation to the facades. The handsome bellcote helps to articulate the roofline, and is a landmark in the skyline along the main approach road into the town from the west. The form of this church is typical of mid-to-late nineteenth-century Church of Ireland churches in Ireland in that it has a bellcote rather than a tower (as found on earlier Board of Fruits churches), a shallow chancel and an entrance porch attached to one side of the nave. It is constructed in the Early English Gothic Revival architectural idiom, a style that was commonly adopted for Church of Ireland church building projects throughout Ireland during the first half of the nineteenth century. This creates a composition that harks back to the rural idyll of the medieval English parish church. The high spacious open interior also impresses, particularly the alternating cross-braces and kingpost trusses to the exposed roof structure, and the detailing to the arcades and arches. The fine figurative stained glass window to the chancel gable adds further decorative interest to the interior. These windows are attributed to the firm Heaton, Butler & Bayne of London, and depict ‘Christ as Bread of life’ to the north, ‘Christ Calming the Storm’ to the centre, and ‘Christ as True Vine’ to the south. They were donated by the Ellis family in 1908. This church was originally built by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners at a cost of £2,150 (IAA). It was built to designs by the architect William Hagerty (no dates), who worked in the offices of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners during the late 1830s. Hagerty was also responsible for the rebuilding of the Church of Ireland church at nearby Ballyshannon (40852016), built between 1839-42. The Early English Gothic style of this church is reminiscent of the many designs for Church of Ireland churches prepared by Joseph Welland (1798 - 1860), architect for the Ecclesiastical Commissioners (established 1833), where he had responsibility for all Church of Ireland building projects from c. 1843 until his death. The construction of a new Church of Ireland church in Bundoran, and one that is uncommonly large for a small town, is probably a reflection of the fact that Bundoran was a popular ‘genteel’ seaside resort at the time of construction, and would have witnessed an influx of visitors during the Summer ‘season’. This fine edifice is an important element of the built heritage and social history of Bundoran. It forms an appealing pair of related structures along with the former Church of Ireland school (40851016), located adjacent to the south-east. The simple boundary walls and gateways complete this composition, and add to the setting.