What it is
The former St James’ Church of Ireland no longer holds services and now makes whiskey. The Gothic building at the quiet top end of James’s Street in Dublin 8, a short walk from St James’s Gate, was deconsecrated in 1963 and sat largely empty for decades before reopening in 2017 as Pearse Lyons Distillery. The copper stills stand in the former nave, under the original stained glass. If you have an hour and a choice between this and the Guinness Storehouse down the road, this is the quieter, stranger visit: a working distillery in a former church, on a fraction of the scale.
A layered history
The parish is older than the building. A hospital for pilgrims stood on nearby Lazar’s Hill by about 1220, and the parish was separated from St Catherine’s in 1710. The church you see was designed by Joseph Welland and completed around 1859 to 1861. It had a prominent spire until lightning damaged it, and the spire was taken down in 1948. Worship carried on until 1963.
The churchyard beside it holds a very large number of burials, and is one of Dublin’s historic cemeteries. Among those recorded here are Bishop Conor O’Devany, the Catholic bishop executed in 1612 and beatified in 1992; Sir Theobald Butler, the Solicitor General; Sir Mark Rainsford, Mayor of Dublin and a brewery owner on whose old site Guinness later rose; Sergeant-Major John Lucas, who won the Victoria Cross; and Sir William Haldane-Porter. The churchyard is not open for general visits, so look at the restored monuments from the street.
The distillery
Dr Pearse Lyons bought the disused church in 2014 and converted it into a small-batch whiskey distillery, opening to visitors in 2017. The conversion kept the building’s Gothic fabric and its stained glass, so a visit takes you under the original arches while the stills work in the background. Guided tours cover the process from grain to glass. Tours, tickets, tastings, age limits and mobility arrangements are controlled by the operator, so check the Pearse Lyons Distillery website and book ahead.
The Camino
Dublin has long been a setting-off point for Irish pilgrims walking to Santiago de Compostela, useful for the Celtic Camino and the Camino Inglés routes, but the passport office is not in the distillery. The Camino Society information centre is at the Catholic St James’s Church, D08 X799, farther along James’s Street. It provides information and pilgrim passports. Check the centre’s seasonal opening and its separate sacristy arrangements before going, as turning up at the wrong time may mean leaving without a stamp.
Practical information
- Getting there: the Red Luas line stops at St James’s/James’s Street, and several bus routes serve James’s Street. Heuston Station is a few minutes’ walk. Check current services before you travel.
- Distillery tours: operator-controlled; check the Pearse Lyons website and book ahead.
- Camino passports: at the Catholic St James’s Church, with separate hours; see the Camino Society link above.
- Churchyard: not open for general visits; restored monuments can be seen from the street.
Nearby
James’s Street runs through one of Dublin’s tightest heritage clusters. The Guinness Storehouse is a five-minute walk south, so a church-turned-distillery, a Camino passport from the Catholic church and a famous brewery fit comfortably into one afternoon on foot. Walk along the street rather than cutting through any private or closed grounds.