St. Michael is depicted as a sword-carrying, winged warrior because he is an angel who has been engaged in many battles, some of which are described in the Book of Daniel and in Revelation. The image of his face on the right lacks any emotion – just what we might expect from one who carries a balance for weighing the souls of the dead. The bottom of the window, shown on the left, bears the monogram SM, for Saint Michael.
Would it be disrespectful to suggest that St. Michael appears to be wearing a rather fetching pair of bloomers? It looks that way but, in fact, he is wearing a long-sleeved, knee-length shirt under the breast plate and over the thigh armour.
In the south transept there are three windows. The two in the gable are of St. Michael the Archangel and St. John the Baptist. The third window, in the east wall of the transept, is a plain lattice window. There is no window in the west wall of the transept as that wall is also the wall of the sacristy.
The St. Michael and John Baptist windows were repaired and restored in 2011 and Colette Langan of Irish Stained Glass sent us some photos of the windows before, during, and after restoration. You can see her photos HERE.
Now take a look at the image below which comes from Morton Baptist Chapel in Lincolnshire, England. It shows Salome with the head of John the Baptist. King Herod looks quite pleased although the gospels have it otherwise –
“But an opportunity came when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.’ And he vowed to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.’ And she went out and said to her mother, ‘For what should I ask?’ And she said, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’ And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.” [Mark 6:21-29].
Our own window of John the Baptist is not at all gruesome!
The Madonna Lily is often associated with Saint Joseph as well as Our Lady as, for example, in his statue inside the church (see the photo on the right). In the images above, however, the flowers are red and are growing from the top of St. Joseph’s staff or rod. The flowering of the staff is described in an apocryphal writing (The Birth of Mary According to James) in which Mary’s future spouse is chosen. Joseph’s staff bursts into lily flowers as a sign that he is the chosen one. The red flower that gardeners call St. Joseph’s Lily is not a lily at all but is a variety of amaryllis or hippeastrum (Hippeastrum x johnsonii) that was hybridised around 1800 A.D. in England.
In Church tradition, Joseph is much older than Mary, and he looks rather elderly in the window images. He doesn’t look so old in the statue image but, then, Mary was barely into her teens when Jesus was born.
The window image on the right shows the monogram SJ which stands for Saint Joseph.
The first two images show Our Lady carrying a stem of lilies, the symbol of purity. Lilies have long been associated with Mary and are, perhaps, the most common Marian symbol. This particular lily is the Madonna Lily (Lilium Candidum) which is native to the Balkans and West Asia. In summer it produces fragrant white flowers which are yellow at the base. Also associated with Our Lady is the Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis), but that’s a different plant altogether.
In the image on the right is a monogram comprising the intertwined letters A and M which stand for “Ave Maria” (Hail Mary, in Latin). Unfortunately, the very bottom of the window, including the bottom half of the monogram, is partially blurred by protective glazing.
The image on the right is of the bottom of the Sacred Heart window, taken through a gap in the pinnacle of the altar – it’s the only way to photograph it without a ladder! It bears a monogram comprising the intertwined letters I, H, and S. IHS is a type of Christogram – a combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ and traditionally used as a Christian symbol.
The first three letters of the name Jesus (in Greek) are iota, eta, and sigma These are the 9th, 7th, and 18th letters of the Greek alphabet, respectively. In Greek capital letters they are written as I, H, and Σ. The first two have been adopted as the I and H of the English alphabet. The Σ is equivalent to the English letter S and has the same sound.
In short, then, IHS represents the first three letters of the Greek version of the name Jesus. At least, that’s how it started out. Later, IHS was taken to mean Iesus Hominum Salvator (“Jesus, Saviour of men” in Latin) or “I Have Suffered”.
There are three windows in the west gable. They are difficult to photograph as a group as they are partially hidden by the main altar or by the sanctuary lamp, depending on where you are standing. The three figures in the windows are, from left to right, Our Lady, the Sacred Heart, and Saint Joseph.
The image may be enlarged by clicking on it and each window may be viewed separately using the menu on the left.
The Stained-Glass Windows of Sacred Heart Church, Dunhill
If you are wondering why we are showing you these windows when you can see them in the flesh any Sunday, then you obviously don’t live in the U.S.A., or Australia, or Little Puddlington on Sea. Even if you go to church in Dunhill seven days a week, you may never have taken the time to look closely at the windows and so you may see them here for the very first time. Even if you have studied the windows, it is difficult to appreciate their beauty from the floor of the church or by climbing up onto the window ledges – we know!!
The various window images can be accessed from the menu on the left. They can all be enlarged by clicking on the images and it is then that their true beauty unfolds.
Because of the sloping nature of the site, the church was built with a reversed orientation so that the main door of the church faces east rather than west. The order in which the windows occur in the menu is as follows: We begin with the main window in the west gable, above the altar, and then turn left through the south transept, the south wall of the nave, the north wall of the nave, the north transept and, finally, the east gable window above the main door.
Before you embark on your journey through the stained-glass windows of Dunhill church, take a look at the window below. It is by the famous Harry Clarke (1889 to 1931) who was undoubtedly Ireland’s greatest stained glass artist. It depicts St. Brendan meeting Judas. Unfortunately, we do not know who made Dunhill church’s windows, but we know it wasn’t Harry Clarke. Click the image to zoom in.
It is no longer necessary to register or to log in or out in order to view the database for the parish graveyards.
Graveyard Masses:
In 2010, the graveyard Mass was said in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Fenor, on Thursday August 5th, and in the Sacred Heart Church, Dunhill, on Tuesday August 10th. As the graves were looking particularly well, we took quite a few photos and have presented them in two albums for you to look at. We couldn’t show all the graves as there are too many so we simply showed a selection. You can see the photographs by going to the Parish Photo Albums. You can also view the graveyard data base by going to Parish, Parish Graveyards
Graveyards Information
The parish graves database currently contains more than 900 records for Dunhill and more than 800 records for Fenor , including empty plots.
The information in this database concerning the Dunhill graveyard was compiled from work previously done in Dunhill which was published on this website in pdf and MS Word documents. In respect of Fenor graveyard, the information was taken from headstone records and the graveyard records book. In addition we have been able to add photographs of all headstones in Fenor graveyard. In some cases there are no headstones and these are recorded in the database as a stone cross. In the event that there is a headstone but we do not have a headstone image, a small image stating this fact represents the headstone image. All records are contained in one database but, to facilitate faster loading for those with slower broadband speeds, we present the information in two sets, one for Dunhill graveyard and one for Fenor graveyard.
Every effort has been made to record the details accurately. However, as the inscriptions on some headstones are very faint or illegible in a small number of cases, it was not possible to be absolutely sure of the details. In addition, some headstones contain a lot of information and others very little. Where there are gaps in the information, perhaps family members could provide us with accurate information to make our database even more useful. Now that the major work of entering all the old records has been done, it is intended to keep this database up to date. We would be grateful if you would send any corrections or updated information to the parish Communications Team.
The parish of Dunhill and Fenor has two churches. Remarkably, one is situated in the village of Dunhill and the other in the village of Fenor!! Click HERE to view the Parish Map. The map will show you that we are telling the truth. Why would we lie?
The Sacred Heart church (right) is in Dunhill and the church of the Immaculate Conception (left) is in Fenor. These two churches are not cathedrals or basilicas but, rather, simple country churches. However, they are well constructed with some interesting architectural features and, inside, are warm and welcoming. Most of all, they are our churches and have been for over a hundred years. They were built with the money collected from parishioners, our ancestors, who were not millionaires. Our first task was to bring to you the stained glass windows of the two churches in all their amazing colour and detail. We have attempted to explain the significance of each window and the meaning of the religious symbols shown in them. We have also shown you the Stations of the Cross as you have never seen them before, and we have produced two brochures which give additional information about the churches – you can access the brochures below.
Church of the Sacred Heart, Dunhill
The church is situated in the village of Dunhill, County Waterford. Its location is shown on the map on the Home page together with its geographical coordinates. Some  history of the church can be read in the Dunhill History (1) and Dunhill History (2) sections of this web site. There is a lot of information available about the church graveyard although this is incomplete and needs updating. Visitors to the data base are no longer required to register. More information on the church is available in the brochure “The Church of the Sacred Heart, Dunhillâ€.Â
Below are some images from Dunhill church that you might like to glance at.
Church of the Immaculate Conception, Fenor
The church is situated in the village of Fenor, County Waterford. Its exact location is shown on the map on the Home page together with its geographical coordinates. Something of the history and architecture of the church can be read in the Fenor Church History section of this web site. There is a comprehensive data base on the church graveyard giving names, dates, headstone inscriptions, and photographs. Visitors to the data base are no longer required to register. More information on the church is available in the brochure “The Church of the Immaculate Conceptionâ€.Â
Below are some images from Fenor church that you may find interesting.
But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane, In proving foresight may be vain: The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft a-gley, An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, For promis’d joy!”
[ Robert Burns, 1759-1796 ]
Some choir members are shown in the picture above. They obviously enjoy their task. [ Picture by Geraldine Middleton ]
Who would have thought that a few wee mice could put an end to a choir? But they did! However, the choir fought back and was finally victorious, as you will learn from this piece by the choir’s musical director, Rita Byrne, who discovered the mice.
“There has been a choir in Fenor church since time immemorial but, by the early 1960s, the choir had ceased to function because the bellows of the harmonium had become the home of a colony of mice. In the 60s it was customary to have a parish mission every three years so it was necessary to have a choir for Mass and Benediction during the mission. The children’s choir in Fenor school was called on to fill the gap and so they continued from 1965 to 2005. The first job with the children was to teach the O Salutaris and the Tantum Ergo for Benediction and then the Mass of the Angels (in Latin) and Salve Regina for the Mass – all this without an organ. Confirmation came next with seven verses of Veni Creator, and Stations of the Cross during Lent had fourteen verses of Stabat Mater.
By the late 60s, the choir (now composed of school children and young teenagers) did a series of carol concerts and the proceeds, with the help of the Sale of Work, bought a very basic electric organ for the use of the school and church. This was the church organ until Father Purcell became parish priest and a beautiful Hammond organ was installed in our church. This organ was later replaced by the organ from Dunhill church which was not deemed to be of sufficient volume for the larger church.
By the early 70s the decrees of Vatican II were being implemented in the Irish Church. Quite suddenly the Latin language was replaced by English and, to the dismay of many, the beautiful chant was replaced by upbeat, catchy hymns – Bind Us Together and Kumbaya spring to mind. The young people loved the new music and, during the next twenty years, these were the norm at Masses throughout the world – Fenor was no exception.
It was the custom in our church to sing at Mass once a month with special Masses for St. Patrick’s day, Easter, and feasts of Our Lady. Fenor was blessed to have some wonderful young singers who sang solo pieces and the Psalms. Young people like Ann, Patricia, and T.P. O’Mahony, Yvonne Power, Eimear Hanley, Caitriona O’Boyle, Clodagh McElhinney, Colm and Muireann Byrne, and our present soloist Orla Forristal.
In 2008 a senior choir was organised in Fenor church and a committed group of singers came together to help with church celebrations. As was the custom, the church choir decided to sing once a month and on special Church holidays. Choir practice takes place most Tuesdays from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Fenor church. It is a pleasure to be part of the very committed and enthusiastic group of singers who work so hard to make the celebration of Mass prayerful and meaningful. Fifty years on, Fenor Church Choir is still going strong.”
