Mount St Alphonsus

The church of Mount Saint Alphonsus and its accompanying Monastery was originally built in 1852, and was the first house of the Redemptorist Order in Ireland.

The idea of adding a tower and a set of bells to the church was originally proposed as a gift by a local Tea merchant called John Quin. For reasons unknown, the Rector initially declined this offer, and only when the people of Limerick protested was permission granted. Work began in the spring of 1876 with the digging of the foundations, and on the 18th of June 1876 John Quin laid the foundation stone. Appropriately enough this was the feast day of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, to whom the tower is dedicated.

A contract for nine bells was awarded to Murphy of Dublin at a cost of £1195. The architects had planned that these should be hung dead for chiming, but as John Murphy insisted that it would be better to hang them full circle, they were hung as a ring of eight in `D' with a stationary `C' for chiming. Sadly Mr Murphy was never to hear the sound of these bells, as he died just six weeks before they were installed.

The Society of Bell Ringers of Mount Saint Alphonsus was formed in 1879 by a Mr Lovejoy, and have been ringing for every occasion since. These include Services and meeting of the Confraternity. Muffled peals were rung for Priests being laid to rest and the deaths of City dignitaries during troubled times. Bells normally rang in the New Year, although from 1916 until the end of the First World War the bells remained silent on New Years Eve at the request of the Rector who remarked that "It is such as sad world now that rejoicing seems out of place" .

The bells were recast by Taylors of Loughborough in 1947 and consecrated on the 30th of November that year by the Bishop of Limerick, Rev Dr O'Neill. A huge crowd attended the ceremony, including the relatives of John Quin.

Over the years many ringers have been honoured by medals from various Popes. David Benson received two awards, while in 1977 six of the ringers were presented with the "Bene Merenti" award from Pope John Paul II. Finally in June 1996 two more ringers were also presented with this award.