Thomas Francis McNamara
Thomas Francis McNamara | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1867[1] |
| Died | 1947 |
| Nationality | British / Irish (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, then Irish Free State, then Republic of Ireland) |
| Other names | T.F. McNamara |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Known for | Prolific church and hospital architect |
Thomas Francis McNamara, RIAI, RIBA(1867–1947) was an Irish Roman Catholic ecclesiastical architect active throughout the late-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century in Ireland who designed many hospitals and Roman Catholic churches. He started his career as a pupil and later managing assistant of William Hague Jr., who was a partner of the architectural firms Hague and McNamara and, later, T. F. McNamara. He was the father of architects N.P. McNamara and Charles G. McNamara, who were partners in his firm from the 1920s, the latter absorbed his practice into his own.[1]
At the office of William Hague, an architect who designed many Roman Catholic churches generally in the French Gothic style, McNamara rose from being a pupil to managing assistant. Hague died in 1899, the year Omagh’s Sacred Heart was dedicated, and consequently it was "a culmination of [Hague's] amazing catalogue of completed ecclesiastical designs and his continuous championship of the Gothic Revival style," according to Richard Oram in Expressions of Faith-Ulster’s Church Heritage.[2] After his death, his partner T. F. McNamara took over most of his commissions.[3] Thereafter, Hague formed a business partnership with Hague's widow, practising as Hague & McNamara until about 1907, when he practised under his own name, the firm of T. F. McNamara, which ventured more into Hispano-Romanesque architecture. His office was located on Dawson Street, Dublin, until 1911, at number 50,[4] he then relocated to 192 Great Brunswick Street, Dublin, where he worked until 1927. From 1927 until his death, his office was located at number 5 Dawson Street. [1]
In 1912, he was appointed architect to the Dublin Joint Hospital Board.[1]
Works
[edit]- Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Omagh (1892-1899), designed in the French Gothic style and built by the Colhoun Brothers of Derry at the contract price of £46,000.[4][5][6]
- County Hospital at Mullingar, begun in 1933.[1]
- St Eunan's College, Letterkenny, County Donegal.
- Crooksling Sanatorium, Brittas, County Dublin.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "MCNAMARA, THOMAS FRANCIS"Irish Architectural Archive, Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720-1940. (accessed 18 Nov 2010)
- ^ Richard Oram Expressions of Faith-Ulster’s Church Heritage. (Newtownards, Co. Down: Colourpoint, 2001.), p.126.
- ^ Gerry Convery. "Poetry in Stone: Sacred Heart Church." (Omagh: Drumragh RC Parish, 1999), p.8.
- ^ a b Gerry Convery. Poetry in Stone: Sacred Heart Church. (Omagh: Drumragh RC Parish, 1999), p.57
- ^ Alistair Rowan. North West Ulster: Londonderry, Donegal, Fermanagh, and Tyrone. Buildings of Ireland Series. (Dublin: Penguin Books, 1979.), p.488
- ^ Simon Walker. Historic Ulster Churches. (Belfast: Queens University at Belfast, 2000), p.182.
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