ABOUT 

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LUSK (LUSCA) the Irish meaning of the word lusk means a cave or underground chamber. it is believed to date back to the 450s when st. Mac Cullin founded a church and either lived or was buried in a cave.

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ST MAC CULLIN
founded a monastery at lusk about ad 450 and the site is also associated with st Maurs. it was plundered and burned several times in the succeeding centuries, the only remnant of an early Christian foundation is the round tower. it stands about 27m high and retains its original conical cap. there are nine storeys including the basement. the flat-headed doorway is now less than 1m above ground level. the round tower is attached to a square tower built in the 15th or 16th century with three matching round towers at its corners. the large tower houses several medieval tombs including that of James Bermingham (1527) and the double-effigy tomb of Christopher Barnewell and his wife Marion Sharl (1589).

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STAINED GLASS. Designed by J. J. Robinson and erected in 1924, Saint MacCullin’s is a well-crafted building with many features to engage the attention of the architectural tourist. The high-pitched gable, interior barrel vault and tower are clearly references to Cormac’s chapel. The church contains stained glass windows by Harry Clarke and Evie Hone. The clerestory windows are arranged in groups of three and they continue in the sanctuary with three groups. The windows in the sanctuary contain symbols representing the crucifixion. The ones on the south have images of saints one of which holds a model of the church.

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PARISH HISTORY:
see attached footage of the laying of the stone of the church in 1922 and the blessing of the church in 1925:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py4ojo1nkbc&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bekp_cvrjkc&feature=youtu.be

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PARISH REGISTERS:
the entire collection of Catholic parish register microfilms held by the national library of Ireland are now available online at http://registers.nli.ie/ involved are more than 370,000 digital images of the microfilm reels on which the parish registers are recorded and which are accessible free of charge. go directly to lusk parish registers from 1757: http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0485

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LUSK HERITAGE CENTRE comprises of a round tower, a medieval belfry and a 19th-century church. they form a unit, although they were built over a period of almost a thousand years. the belfry now houses an exhibition on medieval churches of north county Dublin and also the magnificent 16th-century effigy tomb of Sir Christopher Barnewall and his wife Marion Sharl.

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HISTORY:
the annals refer to the death of the abbot, st. MacCullin, most likely the founder of the monastery here in 497. the monastery itself had a violent history, having been pillaged and destroyed in 835 and burnt in 854. in 1089 the church was burnt again with 180 people inside and the abbey was devastated yet again in 1135. Austin Cooper first mentioned the tower in 1783 as being in good condition, though there were no floors or ladders at that time. these were fitted in the 1860s, along with a wood and cement roof by the rector, dr. wm. reeves. he also filled up a breach in the second storey that led to the square medieval bell tower, and possibly another at the level of the belfry battlements. metal grills were fitted into the windows in 1977. the present church was built against the east wall of the belfry in 1847 after a storm damaged the former (and much larger) building in 1838. the belfry is thought to date from approximately 1500. other items of interest: the church on this site houses the lusk heritage centre and has currently underwent restoration.