Old Dublin church to reopen as theatre and music venue after £3m renovation

ST GEORGE'S Church, on Temple Street, one of Dublin's most important landmarks, is to reopen next month as a theatre and live music venue after a £3 million conversion programme, funded by a small group of private investors.

It is, as one of them admitted, "a great act of faith" because of the building's location in the still run down north inner city, removed from the "buzz" of Temple Bar and other night time haunts.

Mr Finbarr Smyth said renewal of the area "has got to start somewhere, so why not here?" In any case, as he pointed out, there had already been some major developments nearby, such as North Great George's Street.

St George's is being named the Temple Theatre, billed as a multipurpose venue with a licensed capacity of nearly 3,000 people. The vaults have been turned into two bars, with recycled church pews for seating.

The original pews from St George's were sold by its former owner, Mr Sean Simon, who held the fort there for five years. Its bell, mentioned in Ulysses, was removed by the Church of Ireland to Taney parish, near Dundrum.

The church, with its tripletiered steeple, was designed by Francis Johnston, architect of the GPO in O'Connell Street and the Chapel Royal in Dublin Castle. It was deconsecrated over a decade ago through lack of patronage.

Mr Jason Denham, in charge of promoting the church's use as a theatre and music venue, said he "fell in love with the building" so much so that he gave up his job as general manager of the POD nightclub to run it.

He believes Dublin needs a medium sized venue to complement the Point Theatre, on the North Wall, and says he has made some headway in trying to interest theatres, music promoters and others in the potential of St George's.

"We're throwing the closing party for the international music conference which is taking place in Dublin next month, with 2,000 delegates from all over the world'. "It will be a great showcase for the Temple Theatre."

According to Mr Denham there has been "a great response from the north side of the city", with quite a few good luck cards. Local residents, including those living in nearby Hardwicke Street flats, "also seem, quite happy".

The main auditorium, in the restored neo classical interior, seats 1,000. "It took five months to paint the ceiling because of the amount of scaffolding and we're spending £2,000 per window on acoustic insulation," Mr Denham said.

He emphasised that the converted church would be used as a venue for touring theatre companies and live music performers and was "not another nightclub", despite the availability of so much bar space in the vaulted basement.

Two of the investors in the venture, Mr Finbarr Smyth and Mr Pat Reilly, are both publicans. The other, Mr Martin Flattery, is the builder who has been carrying out the extensive renovation work on the church.

However, despite its undoubted importance as a city landmark, they failed to persuade the Department of Arts and Culture or the Heritage Council to contribute money from public funds to restore the decaying steeple.

This structure, which has been encased in scaffolding for more than a decade, is suffering from the problem that hit the Custom House. The iron cramps holding its blocks of Portland stone together have expanded, splitting the stone.

If people respond to the Temple Theatre with the enthusiasm hoped for by Mr Denham and his associates, there might even be money left over to reinstate this landmark, the first city spire on the way in from the airport.