Naas Parish Church Steeple

Published on September 20, 2016

Our Parish Church proudly boasts the impressive structure that is our Church Steeple, commenced in 1851 and completed in 1858. It stands 200 feet high and dominates the sky line of Naas Town. It can on a clear day be viewed from many miles away, it is as if our homes, our lives, our comings and goings all nestle under its protective shadow. Designed by J.J. McCarthy and modelled on a church steeple at Ewerby in Lincolnshire, its internal spiral staircases once led to the main gallery which housed the choir and organ in the centre section. As with life and the human body, the years begin to tell their own story. Particularly last winter, the wet weather made its unwelcome presence felt within the environs of the main entrance to the church. It is disappointing to see wet floors and damp walls! The work carried out on the church and completed in 2013/2014 was confined to the main body of the church and did not include the tower or steeple. Over many months now, Slattery Conservation Architects have been investigating and exploring the options that will hopefully remedy and address the current difficulties with the spire. They have tried to determine the source of the moisture ingress. Although the stone is in relatively good condition, a number of open joints are visible on the exterior. It is proposed to repoint these areas and quotations have been sought. These works should alleviate the level of water ingress and, allied with sufficient drying out of the masonary, allow for redecoration to the affected internal areas. It is hoped that the proposed works will greatly help the situation but there are no one hundred percent guarantees. At a recent Finance Committee meeting approval was given for work to commence, the estimated cost of the works; €25,000. A grant has been secured from Kildare County Council to part fund the aforementioned works. Over the coming weeks you will see the erection of scaffolding, we hope to keep disruption to a minimum. Unfortunately there are always new demands placed on resources and your continued support of the Development Fund Collection each Sunday and of the Lotto is deeply appreciated. Fr. Liam P.S. Works being carried out to the Curate‟s house are almost complete. I will update you in this regard in the coming weeks.