- St Nicholas’ Church at Moyliskar, near Mullingar, was listed at €170,000
- It had been out of use for about 30 years
- The building is 139 square metres on 0.7 acres
- Its stained glass is attributed to Sarah Purser
A small former Church of Ireland church outside Mullingar in County Westmeath came onto the market in late 2019, Church News Ireland reported, drawing on coverage by Irish Central. St Nicholas’ Church at Moyliskar, about 53 miles from Dublin, was listed at €170,000 through Real Estate Alliance on Daft.ie.
The church had been decommissioned about 30 years before the listing. It measures 139 square metres and stands on 0.7 acres. Built in a late nineteenth-century style, it has a four-bay hall, a tower and an octagonal belfry. Inside are ornate plasterwork, the original tiled chancel floor and stained-glass windows attributed to the Irish artist Sarah Purser.
The sale description quoted in the report called the building “generally in good order throughout with the interior remaining intact”, and said it “retains all the charm and dignity of the period featuring ornate plasterwork and highly decorated stained glass windows.” Irish Central called it “a former Church of Ireland beauty”.
A buyer would still face the cost of turning a hall-shaped building into a home, and the constraints of any heritage protections.
For Jamaicans in Ireland and the UK, and for returnees who admire old stone churches at home, the listing is a reminder that church buildings can be surprisingly affordable to buy but expensive to live in. Heating a high-ceilinged hall, adding bathrooms and kitchens, and protecting stained glass all add cost. Buyers should get a survey, check planning and heritage status, and budget for the conversion, not just the purchase price.
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