Church of St. Alphonsus (RC, Redemptorist), Limerick 
Material Source(s)
- County:
- Limerick
- Townland:
- Courtbrack
- Coordinates:
- 52.6562, -8.6356
- Date:
- 1858-1862
- Architects:
- Hardwick, Philip Charles (DIA)
- Other architects:
- Corbett, William Edward (DIA); Goldie, George (DIA)
- Builders:
- Ryan & Sons; Scanlon, Pat; Wallace, W.
- Stoneworkers:
- Bolton (of Worcester) (DIA); Phyffers, Theodore John Baptiste (of London) (DIA)
- Patrons:
- Bolton (of Worcester) (DIA)
- Styles:
- Gothic Revival
- Alterations/Renovations:
- 1865-1866: Reredos and altar. Bolton (of Worcester) carved panelling on front of altar.; 1876-1878: Addition of tower with spire
Notes:
The material used for the construction of the church is local dark grey limestone, relieved with banding of Clare red limestone on the western facade and a large cross of the Clare stone on the rounded exterior of the apse (most likely sourced from Rineanna in south Co. Clare).
Kinahan, 1889 described the source of Clare red marble as, south of Co. Clare, a little east of the Fergus between Newmarket-on-Fergus and the River Shannon. He stated that this marble was used for ornamental purposes in Adare Manor. The Waulsortian limestone quarry at Rineanna (marked on the 25" OS map) fits Kinahan's description. Stone from 'Rynana', Co. Clare was used in the dining room of Adare Manor (Memorials of Adare Manor by Caroline, Countess of Dunraven, 1865, p. 7). It is likely that Rineanna and Rynana are the same place and that stone from this location was sourced for both Adare Manor and the Church of St Alphonsus in Limerick. Furthermore, while Hardwick was building the Church of St Alphonsus he was also building St. John's Cathedral in Limerick. The use of red marble from 'Rinanna' is recorded in St John's cathedral (Memoirs of the British Geological Survey, Mineral Statistics Part 1, 1858, p. 324, 325). Both churches display early use of Clare red marble and it is highly likely that Hardwick used the same red stone in both contemporary buildings.
Carved capitals and sculptures are of Bath and Portland stone. Large columns of Clare red marble flank the entrance to the apse. The rerdos stands on a base inlaid with a variety of richly sculpted Irish marbles which are separated from each other by red marble shafts. The altar is principally fabricated from Caen Stone accompanied by columns and inlay of Cork red and Connemara green marbles. The communion rail is constructed of a balustrade of red marble columns surmounted by capitals of sculptured stone which bear a rail of polished Sicilian marble. The steps of the three principal alters are of polished red marble and a red marble was used for small shafrings.