Merrion Hall is a former

Plymouth Brethren The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren are a low church and Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where it originated from Anglica ...

church built by Alfred Gresham Jones and completed in 1863 that was located near

Merrion Square Merrion Square () is a Georgian architecture, Georgian garden square on the Southside Dublin, southside of Dublin city centre. History The square was laid out in 1762 to a plan by John Smyth and Jonathan Barker for the estate of Richard Fitz ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland. It has been reconstructed and renovated and is now the Davenport Hotel, but the façade has been retained.

History

The church was built by Alfred Gresham Jones (1824–1888) for the Plymouth Brethren. It was completed in 1863 at a cost of £16,000, and had a main hall capacity of 2500 to 3000 persons, plus many more standing. The Plymouth Brethren originated in meetings in Dublin; the first public meeting of the group that came to worship at Merrion Hall was held at an auction room in

Aungier Street Aungier Street () is a street on the south side of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It runs north-south as a continuation of South Great George's Street. It is the location of both a Technological University Dublin and a Dublin Business Sc ...

in the 1820s. Until Merrion Hall was built, meetings continued in Aungier Street and at private houses in the city. Merrion Hall was the largest Plymouth Brethren

gospel hall The Gospel Halls are a group of independent Christian assemblies throughout the world that fellowship with each other through a set of shared Biblical doctrines and practices. Theologically, they are evangelical and dispensational. They are a co ...

ever constructed. There were three oval galleries and a double deck preacher's platform almost identical to that of the

Metropolitan Tabernacle The Metropolitan Tabernacle is a Reformed Baptist, Reformed Independent Baptist, Independent Baptist Church in the Elephant and Castle area in London. It was the largest Nonconformist (Protestantism), non-conformist church of its day in 1861. ...

in London. The lower hall in the basement contained a below-floor baptism pool. The Plymouth Brethren occupied the protected building until the late 1980s when it was sold to a developer. The building was largely destroyed by a fire on 2 May 1991 and subsequently re-developed as the Davenport Hotel, with only the façade remaining of the original building. The Italianate façade remains and is protected.

In media

The building was used as a film location for the 1991 film ''

Hear My Song ''Hear My Song'' is a 1991 British comedy-drama film directed by Peter Chelsom, who co-wrote the screenplay with Adrian Dunbar, based on the story of Irish tenor Josef Locke. It was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 46th British ...

'' portraying a Liverpool night club, such use being rather at odds with its original use. One of the few religious buildings mentioned in

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

's ''

Ulysses Ulysses is the Latin name for Odysseus, a legendary Greek hero recognized for his intelligence and cunning. He is famous for his long, adventurous journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, as narrated in Homer's Odyssey. Ulysses may also refer ...

'' is Merrion Hall.

Dublin Builder entry

References

Sources

External links