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A large marble plaque by the right side door mentions all the donors and
their donations to the church. The Magnor family donated the site of the
church and the graveyard. Patrick Hartigan and his family donated the
Stations of the Cross to the church in 1874.
There are three plaques in the church, one of which commemorates Dean
Costello's 70 years as a priest, while the other two are in memory of
two former parish priests of Rathkeale; William Molony who died on November
7th 1901 and Archdeacon Halpin who was parish priest from 1877 until his
death in 1884, aged 74. At the back of the church on the right there is
a mosaic of the Angel Gabriel that was given to the church by General
and Mrs. Lloyd of Beechmount. The mosaic was given in memory of their
only child T. H. Eyre who was a Captain of the Coldstream Guards. Eyre
was killed at Brakeenlaagte; Transvaal, South Africa during the Boer War
on October 31st 1901, aged 30.
© Mosaic of the Angel Gabriel
Inside the church on the left there is a shrine to Jesus on the Cross.
A three-sectioned stained glass window was erected in 1973 to commemorate
the 100th anniversary of the opening of Rathkeale church. The three sections
depict (from left to right) the keys of Heaven, the Holy Spirit and the
Body and Bread.
The next stained glass window is also in three sections and depicts the
Queen of Heaven, Jesus and an Apostle, and the dove of peace/the Holy
Spirit. Underneath the window a plaque asks people to pray for Nora McMahon
and her family.
© Stained Glass Windows in Rathkeale church
Another stained glass window shows scenes from the Rosary,
which shows the Assumption of Mary into Heaven and the Resurrection of
Jesus from the tomb in the left panel. The middle panel depicts Jesus
on the mountain with Elijah and Moses and Pentecost Sunday. The right
panel shows Mary, Queen of Heaven and the Ascension into Heaven. The inscription
under the window asks that people pray for Minnie Madigan and her relatives.
© Stained Glass Windows in Rathkeale church
Over the Confessional on the left-hand side, there is a
large stained glass window that was the gift of a number of families in
the parish. Again the stained glass window is divided into three sections.
The left section has three levels which depict (from the top) St Matthew
and St Mark, St John the Baptist and St Augustine and St Ambrose. The
middle section shows St Dominic, St Patrick and St Liguori while the right
section depicts St Luke and St John, St Helen and St Jerome and St Gregory.
© Stained Glass windows behind main altar in Rathkeale church
Near this stained glass window, there are two plaques. The
first plaque tells us that Patrick Hartigan and family gave the Stations
of the Cross in 1874. There is also a plaque to Dean Canon Costello PP
who was a Dean from 1964 until 1989 when he resigned both titles. The
plaque also states that Dean Canon Costello celebrated 70 years as a priest
on June 20 1995. Dean Costello died on June 17 1996. Over the plaque there
is a picture of the Sacred Heart.
© Altars in Rathkeale Church
There is an altar to Sacred Heart at the top left of the church. Over
the altar of the Sacred Heart, there is a stained glass window of Mary,
Jesus and Joseph. To the left of the altar there is a stained glass window
of the Annunciation and the Sacred Heart appearing to St Margaret Mary.
At the top of the church on the right there is an altar to the Virgin
Mary. Also in the church there is an Adoration chapel. At the back of
this small chapel there is a stained glass window of the Lamb of God that
is to the memory of Dean Thomas Costello PP.
© Detail of altar
The High Altar depicts the Angel Gabriel visiting Mary, the crowning
of Mary and the Nativity. There are a number of stained glass windows
in the apse which are (from left to right) St Paula, St Jeanne de Chantal,
St Marcella, St Charles Borromeo, the Immaculate Conception, St Thomas
Aquinas, St Winifred, St Francis Xavier and St Margaret. Viscount Southwell
donated this window
Murals underneath these stained glass windows depict a number of saints:
St James the Great, St Francis, St Philip Nero, St Maria of Pisa, St John,
St Anne, St Catherine, the Lamb of God with a flag, St David, St Susanna,
St Thomas, St Mary Magdalene, St Robert, St Elizabeth and St Charles Borroma.
This mosaic work was at the bequest of W. J. Hayes.
© Mural in Rathkeale church
There are small stained glass windows to the right of the altar. They
depict the Virgin Mary, St James the Greater, St Munchin and St George.
Fr James O'Shea PP of Rathkeale donated these windows. There is a small
stained glass window of an angel on either side of the altar.
The stained glass windows above the choir gallery show Christ the King
in the small centre window with underneath (from left to right) St Patrick,
St Bridget, St Bertha the Abbess and St William the abbot. Lord Emly,
William Maunsell, donated the window in 1873.
On the right hand side of the church there is a stained glass window
showing three scenes from Moses' life: Moses being found as a baby, the
burning bush and the Ten Commandments. The inscription on the window is
to Patrick Slattery and his family.
There is also a stained glass window in memory of Garda Peter Macauley
and his wife Mary Josephine. The window shows the Sermon on the Mount.
The parishioners erected a stained glass window of the Parable of the
Farmer sowing seed to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Dean Thomas Costello
who celebrated the 60th anniversary of his ordination in 1985.
James J. McCarthy, the architect of the church, also donated a stained
glass window. On the left, this window depicts the Last Supper and Mary
Magdalene washing the feet of Jesus. The middle panel shows the Agony
in the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
The right window depicts Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss and the cutting
off of the servant's ear. Underneath this scene there is a depiction of
the Washing of the Feet at the Last Supper.
The large stained glass window in the right transept is divided in three
sections with three levels to each section. The middle level shows St
Brigid, the Blessed Virgin and St Timothy. The rest of the window shows
the Twelve Apostles with the words of the Apostles Creed throughout the
window.
Buried in the grounds of the church are:
 Dean Michael
A. O'Donnell, P.P. Rathkeale 1901-37, Died 1937, aged 82
Canon Cornelius
Mangan, P.P. Rathkeale 1937-48 Died June 26 1948
Archdeacon
W.J. Carroll, P.P. Rathkeale 1948-64, Died June 2 1964
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