RDS buys St Mary’s church in Ballsbridge for €4m

The Royal Dublin Society has bought the former St Mary’s church in Ballsbridge and plans to integrate the prime site into its plan for a redeveloped 20,000 capacity stadium that will host Leinster rugby, concerts and the Dublin Horse Show.

It is understood that the RDS paid about €4 million to secure the site, which sits on one-acre at the corner of Anglesea Road and Simmonscourt Road.

The RDS is expected to use it as a key access point to the redeveloped stadium, while developing the church, which is a listed structure, as a potential event space or as part of a food court on match days.

In October, the RDS signed a new 25-year agreement with Leinster Rugby that will see the Ballsbridge venue remain the team’s home ground out to 2047. The province has played the bulk of its games in the RDS arena since 2005.

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At the time of the announcement, Leinster Rugby chief executive Mick Dawson said the deal provided clarity for both sides well into the future.

“It’s a hugely exciting time on and off the pitch and I am confident that in early 2023, we will be able to provide a further update, together with the RDS, on the next stage of our plans for the RDS arena,” he said.

The RDS has secured planning permission to redevelop the arena, which involves knocking the two-tier Anglesea Stand for a more modern structure with improved hospitality facilities for spectators.

This land purchase will add to the RDS’s existing 42-acre campus in Dublin 4, which includes the stadium, office blocks, a hotel operated by the Intercontinental group, a members’ area and various large exhibition halls.

The site was sold by the Representative Church Body, the property arm of the Church of Ireland, having been brought to market at the start of this year by Lisney with an asking price of €3.75 million.

The church was deconsecrated in July 2020, due to the structural instability of the building and decline in size of the congregation. The church grounds had been used over the years as a car park for events at the RDS and the nearby Aviva Stadium.

The church was designed by John Semple and completed in 1830. It took its name from the demolished St Mary’s Church, which was previously situated in Donnybrook village, where the graveyard remains.

The interior has high vaulted ceilings, with timber buttressing and several notable historic features, including large stained-glass windows, an organ, and a marble altar and pulpit.