Divine Illumination The Oratory of the Sacred Heart Dun Laoghaire

The Oratory of the Sacred Heart was built by the Dominican nuns of St Mary’s Convent, Kingstown (Dún Laoghaire), to celebrate peace at the end of the First World War.

The oratory was dedicated to the Sacred Heart in 1919, and was handpainted Sr Concepta Lynch, a Dominican nun at St Mary’s. Her interpretation of their designs makes the Oratory of the Sacred Heart a dazzling example of the Celtic Revival style.

Divine Illumination explores various aspects of the lives and ministries of women religious orders in Ireland during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Using archival records and original research, these essays provide a comprehensive account of Sr Concepta’s artistic achievement and reveal new details of her life alongside previously unseen reproductions of her work.