placenamesInchicore
Inse Chór
Inchicore's railway works shaped an industrial community whose craftsmanship also helped build its churches and a remarkable replica of the Lourdes grotto.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Inse Chór · Irish · main form · validated name
- Inchicore · English · main form
Place & story
A locomotive shed designed to be seen
The locomotive shed built at Inchicore in 1846 was practical industrial architecture with a conspicuously ornamental public face. Sancton Wood, also architect of the railway's Kingsbridge terminus, designed its castellated limestone frontage and central tower. The tower provided a lookout for approaching trains. The National Inventory notes that railway passengers saw the elaborate elevation, while the sides facing the works were plainer. The works helped turn an agricultural district into an industrial village. [2]
The Oblates and railway workers
The Oblate Fathers arrived in Dublin in 1856 and bought land south of the railway works. Railway workers built their first timber church. Its stone successor, designed by George Coppinger Ashlin, opened in 1878 after the foundation stone was laid in 1876. Later additions included the towers and transepts in 1930. The high altar and communion rail were made by James Pearse, connecting the church with another distinctive tradition of Dublin craftsmanship. [3]
Building the Irish Lourdes
Brother Patrick McIntyre supervised the full-scale Lourdes grotto beside the church, taking measurements during visits to the French shrine. Built in reinforced concrete between 1928 and 1930, it involved substantial work by employees of the Inchicore railway works. Lighting and a public-address system supported large gatherings for vigils and novenas. The National Inventory explains its original purpose as providing a pilgrimage destination for people unable to afford the journey to Lourdes. [4]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Dublin
- Barony
- Uppercross
- Civil parish
- Saint James's
- Coordinates
- 53.34098, -6.32223
- Logainm ID
- 1371590 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Inchicore. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Inchicore Railway Works, locomotive shed, NIAH 50080418 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Church of Mary Immaculate, NIAH 50080394 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Replica Lourdes grotto, NIAH 50080395 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Church of Mary Immaculate at Inchicore, as photographed in 2007 illustration: based on a Church of Mary Immaculate, Inchicore by JP. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2026-08-05. How this page was prepared.