St Catherine's Church of Ireland church on Thomas Street in Dublin was rededicated last night in a ceremony led by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Walton Empey, writes Patsy McGarry. Designed by John Smyth, St Catherine's was built in 1769. It had strong associations with the 1798 Rising, and Robert Emmet was executed in front of it in 1803. It was closed in 1966. In the intervening years since it fell into ruin. Since 1993 CORE (the City Outreach through Renewal and Evangelism) group has helped transform St Catherine's at a cost of £1.5 million. The refurbished St Catherine's contains a church, offices and semimar rooms.
In his address last night, the Bishop of Down and Dromore, the Right Rev Harold Miller, spoke of St Catherine's as "an historic church. In its day it looked on at history in the making at the same focal time in our story of this island which formed the issues faced today at Drumcree. It was the days of the United Irishmen, the days 200 years ago remembered this year."