Thomas Francis McNamara, RIAI,

RIBA ''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

ecclesiastical architect active throughout the late-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century in Ireland who designed many hospitals and

churches. He started his career as a pupil and later managing assistant of William Hague Jr., who was a partner of the architectural firms Hague and McNamara and, later, T. F. McNamara. He was the father of architects N.P. McNamara and Charles G. McNamara, who were partners in his firm from the 1920s, the latter absorbed his practice into his own. At the office of William Hague, an architect who designed many Roman Catholic churches generally in the French Gothic style, McNamara rose from being a pupil to managing assistant. Hague died in 1899, the year Omagh’s Sacred Heart was dedicated, and consequently it was "a culmination of ague'samazing catalogue of completed ecclesiastical designs and his continuous championship of the Gothic Revival style," according to Richard Oram in ''Expressions of Faith-Ulster’s Church Heritage''. After his death, his partner T. F. McNamara took over most of his commissions.Gerry Convery. "Poetry in Stone: Sacred Heart Church." (

Omagh Omagh (; from , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. Northern Ireland's c ...

: Drumragh RC Parish, 1999), p.8. Thereafter, Hague formed a business partnership with Hague's widow, practising as Hague & McNamara until about 1907, when he practised under his own name, the firm of T. F. McNamara, which ventured more into Hispano-Romanesque architecture. His office was located on

Dawson Street, Dublin Dawson Street (; ) is a street on the southern side of central Dublin, running from St Stephen's Green to the walls of Trinity College Dublin. It is the site of the residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, the Mansion House, Dublin, Mansion House. ...

, until 1911, at number 50,Gerry Convery. ''Poetry in Stone: Sacred Heart Church.'' (Omagh: Drumragh RC Parish, 1999), p.57 he then relocated to 192 Great Brunswick Street, Dublin, where he worked until 1927. From 1927 until his death, his office was located at number 5 Dawson Street. In 1912, he was appointed architect to the Dublin Joint Hospital Board.

Works

* Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Omagh (1892-1899), designed in the French Gothic style and built by the Colhoun Brothers of Derry at the contract price of £46,000. Alistair Rowan. ''North West Ulster: Londonderry, Donegal, Fermanagh, and Tyrone.''

Buildings of Ireland Series The ''Pevsner Architectural Guides'' are four series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. ''The Buildings of England'' series was begun in 1945 by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, with its forty-six original volumes pub ...

. (Dublin: Penguin Books, 1979.), p.488 Simon Walker. ''Historic Ulster Churches.'' (

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

: Queens University at Belfast, 2000), p.182. *County Hospital at Mullingar, begun in 1933. *

St Eunan's College St Eunan's College ( ; ), known locally as The College to distinguish it from the cathedral and GAA club, is a voluntary Roman Catholic all-male, English-medium secondary day school (and former boarding school) in County Donegal, Ireland. It ...

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( , meaning "hillside of the O'Cannons"), nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional eco ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

. * Crooksling Sanatorium, Brittas,

County Dublin County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...

References

1867 births 1947 deaths Architects of Roman Catholic churches Architects from County Dublin Irish ecclesiastical architects People associated with St Eunan's College {{Ireland-architect-stub