70th Anniversary of Lourdes Grotto at St. Mary’s
Church. Please join us!
Volunteers (deceased and still living) will be especially
remembered at 11.00 a.m. Mass on Sunday 29th September.
Following the Mass ,a special Blessing of the Grotto will take
place.
In the Marian Year 1954 Pope Pius XII called on people in
villages, towns and local communities to build a shrine or
grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. In Enniskerry a
Grotto Committee was established to oversee the building of
the Grotto.
Mr. Phil Butler remembers working on the Grotto with his
father, Bob Butler, of Kilternan who was the main
builder. The Grotto was built with the help of a number of
local volunteers. From conversations with Phil, Leo Keogh
and other locals, volunteers included the following:-
Guard Kennelly, Ned, Jim & Barney Doogan, Robert
Kavanagh, Micheal (Bikes) Kelly, Mick Rafferty, Mr. Carr, a
man known as ‘Geraldo’ whose real name we don’t know,
Sean O’Brien, Con Riordan, Jimmy Mc Carthy, Mick
O’Connor, Noel Roe, Joe Arnold, Eamonn Messett, Jim
Salley, Tony Hunt, Johnny Roe, Michael Roe, Peter Keogh &
his sons, Leo, Liam & Kevin, Pat Coffey & Pat Hussey. (We
would welcome parishioners who know the names of other
volunteers to let us know by contacting Aideen in the Parish
Office).
The Grotto Committee was made up of a number of local
ladies including Mrs. Deely, Mrs. Corcoran, Mrs. Tallon of the
Powerscourt Arms Hotel, Mrs. Kennelly, Lil Butler, Nurse
Whelan, & Mrs. Grimes. Some of these ladies went to
Lourdes in 1954 and brought back medals and scapulars, some
of which were placed in a time capsule that was placed in the
Grotto . As well as the medals and scapulars, the capsule
contains some written notes, some coins and other items
relevant to the time. Nobody seems to know where exactly the
capsule was placed, perhaps there is somebody in the
community who knows? At the Grotto there is a stone from
the Lourdes Grotto mounted on a piece of marble – more than
likely the ladies brought this stone back from their visit to
Lourdes.
Mrs. Tallon of the Hotel sponsored the cement that was used.
The sand and gravel was supplied by Jack Fenelon.
Noel Roe and Joe Arnold erected the platform that was used
for putting the roof on. The chasis from an old car belonging
to Jim Doogan was used to re-enforce the roof and has worked
very well to this day as the inside of the Grotto stays
completely dry with no rain getting in.
The Altar and plaque were erected by Johnny, Noel & Michael
Roe.
Robert Kavanagh brought all of the stones for the Grotto from
up the Glencree Valley.
When the erection of the Grotto was completed there was a
Reception in the Powerscourt Arms Hotel for all who worked
on it. Phil Butler still has a watch that was presented to him at
the Reception. On the back of the watch there is an
inscription ‘To Philip, from Enniskerry Grotto Committee –
Marian Year 1954’.
The Grotto was blessed on 5th December 1954 (the same day
that the Grotto in Wolfe Tone Square, Bray was blessed.
We invite locals who may have
additional information or who know the names of other
volunteers or wish to correct
some of the information
included here to contact
the Parish Office