Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity Church is open to the public from 2-4pm every Thursday in the month of September. Visit their website here – https://holytrinitykilliney.ie/history/

Angel of Peace and Hope by Harry Clarke 1919

The most famous window was installed in the church in 1919, when Mrs. Lloyd of Victoria Castle (now Ayesha Castle) presented it as a memorial to her husband, Clifford, who had died in 1915. She had commissioned the work from Harry Clarke and the result is delightful. This window is known as the Angel of Peace and Hope, which becomes most significant when we realise that, at the time of the commissioning, the First World War was in progress. Clarke himself often referred to this window as the Beardsley window and admitted to being influenced by the work of Aubrey Beardsley when designing it. He was also influenced by an early portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. But whatever his influences, he turned out a small masterpiece, that can be appreciated only when we study all the tiny details, such as the little ships, the flowers, and St Brigid’s crosses and even a tiny Noah’s Ark. According to Nicola Gordon Bowe, Clarke started work on this window in June 1917, when he prepared first designs and submitted them for approval in September, giving an estimate of £70 for the work. It was accepted and he went ahead, having the firing done by The Studios, for which he paid them £22-15s- 0d, when the work was finished in February 1919.

(Source: Holy Trinity Church Killiney 1858-1996. A Parish History 1996)

Detail of dedication to Clifford B. Lloyd

Read more about Clifford B. Lloyd here – https://killineyhistory.ie/victoria-castle/