The Church of St. Patrick and the Immaculate Conception, Bandon Town.

As you approach St. Patrick’s Church, an impressive building rises before you overlooking the entire town. It is one of the finest buildings of its period in the south of Ireland . The design of the building is Neo Gothic. The cost of the building was £11,000 (eleven thousand pounds). The style of the building is geometrical decorated Gothic. It is built of local sandstone and white limestone is used in all dressings and ornaments. The foundation stone was laid on the 17^th of March 1856 by Bishop Delaney, Cork, and the church was officially opened on the 9^th of June 1861, feast of St. Columba. Over the main door is a statue of St. Patrick placed there on the 24^th of March 1888 . The site of the church was donated by the Presentation Sisters. The modern Catholic parish of Bandon consists of the old parishes of Ballymodan and Kilbrogan and a part of Desertserges in the West. The Cemetery was opened in 1881.

The Bell Tower

The lofty tower which was included in the original plans was not fully completed until 1920 and stands 150 ft. high. Before the bell was placed in the tower it stood on a timber structure and it was first tolled on the 17^th of November 1895 . the bell was presented by James Murphy, Blackpool , Cork , and is dedicated to St. Bridget. The tower was built at a cost of nine thousand pounds.

The Church Steps

The Church Steps leading from Market Street were built during the time that Canon Denis McSwiney was parish priest of Bandon, and they were dedicated to the Immaculate Conception on Sunday 14^th of December 1884 by Bishop Delaney. There are 16 flights of granite steps with a fine entrance gate and side wickets. The Statue of Our Lady was blessed on the 11^th of December 1887 by Bishop O’Callaghan.

The Inside

On entering the Church one is immediately struck by its size. The interior of the church is typical of the Gothic revival style for a Cathedral, with its nave, side aisles, transepts, with altar in the East end and the main door in the West end and the numerous Gothic and pointed arches. The tracery of all the windows is different.

Stained Glass Windows

Stained Glass windows were very much part of the Gothic architecture and the windows in the St. Patrick’s church were filled stained glass down through the years.