The congregation of Howth and Malahide will celebrate 50 years of worship and witness in the Church at Malahide, tomorrow at 11.30am. The moderator of the general assembly, the Rt Rev Dr David Clarke, will conduct the service.
From around 1891, a number of Presbyterians worshipped weekly in the drawing room of Casino - "a beautiful old-world thatched residence" - of the Kirker family, nearby. Eventually a house in Killeen Terrace, just across the Malahide Road, was bought and an upper room used for worship.
With expansion of Aer Lingus after the second World War, pilots were sought in Britain. A number with their families bought houses in Malahide and environs. They were church-going people and those of Scottish extraction especially were Presbyterians. An increase in numbers attending services in the 1950s naturally suggested the need for a church building. The congregation and the minister, the late Rev James McCaughey, received the suggestion with enthusiasm.
A site on the Malahide Road was given by the Kirker family. Contributions to the cost of building were received from friends, organisations and congregations over all Ireland. The Church Extension Fund gave £3,000. The congregation soon made up an appreciable shortfall. The foundation stone was laid on April 7th, 1956, by the moderator of the general assembly, the Rt Rev Dr JC Breakey (Fortwilliam) in the presence of a huge gathering representative of all the Dublin churches.
Building proceeded apace. Split concrete blocks, a new American design, presenting an appearance in the facade and outer walls of smooth stone were used for the first time in Ireland. The building was designed to seat, with balcony for a choir, 120 people. A small hall at the rear was enlarged twice eventually, the more recently after a disastrous fire on October 5th and 6th, 1995. A chancel window facing on to the Malahide Road and the castle was the gift of the late Dermot Dickie of Seatown in memory of his parents.