To commemorate the 175th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of St. Andrew’s, Westland Row on the 30th April 1832, Ms Elizabeth Watson, one of our parishioners has written this beautiful book to give us a taste of the history, not only of the Church but of the area, from the time of the Vikings to the present day.

The title of this volume, ‘An Enduring Presence’ is particularly appropriate when one thinks that there has been a place of worship dedicated to St. Andrew in the area of Westland Row since the time of the Normans. Over the centuries there has been a succession of Churches built to accommodate the needs of the local community, culminating in the building of the present structure in the 1830s and 1840s.

St. Andrew’s has indeed been an ‘Enduring Presence’ in the long and sometimes complex history of the area and of the city of Dublin. It has seen the coming and going of kingdoms and empires, of good times and bad times.

It has witnessed the birth of new ideas, philosophies and religions. It was here during times of upheaval and vast change in society, politics and religion. There were times when it nearly vanished with the tide of history only to rise again and to continue its role and mission to be a place of peace and prayer, most of all, for the people of the area.

If St. Andrew’s is about anything it is about the people of the Westland Row area. The local community of each generation have built and rebuilt the Church and the present St. Andrew’s is still its focal point of worship and prayer.

It is in St. Andrew’s that we mark and celebrate the great moments of life, Baptism, Marriage, Death. Countless generations have come to St. Andrew’s in moments of joy and of sorrow, to celebrate and to mourn, to pray and to search for that peace that the world cannot give.

In her book Elizabeth Watson manages to present to us a broad sweep of the history of this ‘Enduring Presence’ from the times of the Vikings and the Normans down to the present. We are given in a beautifully direct and informative manner a glimpse into an incredible and varied past, of the momentous events and personages who helped shape and form not only the past but also the present while at the same time pointing us to the future.

I wish to thank and congratulate Elizabeth for what she has done in compiling this history. Her dedication to her task, her meticulous research and attention to detail has been marvellous. The finished work will I’m sure bring great satisfaction to all who read it and it is a fitting testimony to the local community and the Enduring Presence of St. Andrew’s here in Westland Row.

‘An Enduring Presence’ can be purchased, priced €10, from the Parish Office of St Andrew’s Westland Row which is open daily from 9.30 to 2.00.