In 1813 the first small Catholic Church was built here as a church of ease to Booterstown when Dundrum was part of that parish. It was replaced in 1878 by a more suitable building and it was then that Dundrum was constituted a separate parish.
In 1943 Mount Merrion and Kilmacud were taken out of Dundrum and together became a new parish. In the meantime these have become two separate parishes.
In 1953 when a church was built in neighbouring Clonskeagh Mulvey Park was transferred from Dundrum to the new parish.
In 1956, due to the expanding population, a large extension to the church was built which doubled its capacity while blending harmoniously with it.
In 1974 Ballinteer was separated from Dundrum to become a new parish. In the final decades of the twentieth century Dundrum has continued to grow and is now a parish with a population of about twelve thousand parishioners.
The church is the focal point on Dundrum’s main street. Built in Gothic style its walls are of Dublin granite, with dressings of Portland and Bath stone providing a stylish setting for its doors and windows.
Features within the church include pillars of polished Aberdeen granite with carved Portland stone capitals and bases. All the stained-glass windows are pleasing to the eye and uplifting to the heart.
One window, Our Lady of the Rosary by Michael Healy almost a century ago deserves special mention. The artist was educated at the Dublin School of Art and the Instituto de Bella Arte, Florence. A pioneer artist in the Irish stained-glass movement, an Túr Gloine , he collaborated with Sarah Purser and Harry Clark. He helped to raise stained-glass making to the highest level in Europe.
The cache is a nano cache so be sure you bring your own pen/pencil. It's location cannot be seen from Dundrum Main Street but you are at risk of being seen at several points on the way to it. As such, I would suggest going at dusk. You can even go at night as the area is very well lit. It was several hours after sunset when I hid it, for example. Just beside it there is a little area that is well hidden from everyone so you can sit there and write in the log, if you find it that is!
Happy Hunting