A History of Maynooth College Chapel: 1845 to 1905

The principal aim of this administrative study is to contextualise the history of Maynooth College Chapel. The objective is to elucidate the facts and circumstances which form it\u27s history. As the present study had not been researched to any great degree the investigation is conducted through interpretation and observation of primary source material. Three main perspectives are adopted in order to highlight the national character of the chapel. The first perspective is political in it\u27s nature. It is developed essentially throughout the first chapter. Early legislation for the college and it\u27s consequences for the chapel are assessed. The decisions taken to initiate and to proceed with the chapel project are reviewed. Effectively chapter one sets the scene for the following chapters. The socio-economic perspect is the second perspective employed in the study. It sets up the background framework for the second chapter. This chapter deals primarily with the funding of the great edifice. The erection of a chapel worthy of the national college was a large undertaking. This chapel was the first college building erected by means of public subscription. This chapter reviews the appeals and the collections made towards the chapel fund. The relationship between Catholic Ireland and the college is thereby appraised. The key personalities associated with the fund-raising drive are evaluated. Essentially, this chapter examines the interests and investments of all this involved in the chapel project. The last perspective adopted is that of a physiographical kind. This is highlighted throughout chapter three. The chapter sets out to outline the distinctive features of the college chapel, which have set it apart from contemporary chapels. The architectural style of J.J. McCarthy (architect of the chapel) is appraised. Each stage of actual construction from the chapel\u27s inception to it\u27s completion is assessed. This chapter also examines the arduous task of completing the tower and the spire. It concludes on a note of a satisfying accomplishment