The Church was designed by Thomas Jackson of Waterford, who established his Belfast practice in 1835. In his design, Jackson borrowed heavily from his observations at Westminster Abbey, Rochester Cathedral and St Stephen’s Chapel, Westminster. The extensive use of painted decoration is evident in most Gothic Revival schemes, and in St Malachy’s, Jackson designed a church in the ecclesiastical style of the Tudor period. The church is best known for its fan-vaulted ceiling, inspired by the Henry VII Chapel (The Lady Chapel) at Westminster Abbey, known locally as “The Wedding Cake”.
During World War 2 the Church survived a Luftwaffe bomb in 1941, with only the loss of its windows. A second bomb however, caused the loss of the Irish Oak window frames, which were replaced in concrete. This would prove ultimately more damaging than the German bomb.
In 2006, the Diocese of Down and Connor began an ambitious project to restore St Malachy’s to its original grandeur. The key project elements were the restoration of the external historic fabric, the addition of suitable disability access, and the full internal restoration based on historic records, details and research. The project was funded by the Diocese, partially through Parish fund raising, and a substantial grant was received from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (Historic Buildings Grant). The Architects were Consarc Conservation and the contractors O’Neill & Brady. Work began in January 2008 and was completed in March 2009, at a cost of £3.5m. The restoration has been hugely well received. In addition to many local conservation and heritage awards, the building received the inaugural Irish Georgian Society Conservation Award in 2010.
On Friday, 4th February 2011, Prince Charles came to see the Church in what was the first Official Visit of my tenure as High Sheriff of Belfast. The line-up of the Official Protocol Group was The Lord–Lieutenant of the County Bourough of Belfast, Dame Mary Peters, who presented:- The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Patrick Convery; The High Sheriff (Shire Reeve) of the County Borough of Belfast, Councillor Dr Ian Adamson OBE; The Chief Executive, Belfast City Council, Mr Peter McNaney; Member of Parliament for South Belfast, Dr Alasdair McDonnell MP MLA and his wife, Ms Olivia Nugent; First Minister of Northern Ireland, The Rt Hon Peter D Robinson MLA; Minister, Department of the Environment, Mr Edwin Poots MLA; Permanent Secretary, Department of the Environment, Mr Leo O’Reilly; The Roman Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor, The Most Reverend Dr Noel Treanor, who presented:- Parish Priest St Malachy’s Church, Very Reverend Michael McGinnity and Curate St Malachy’s Church, Reverend Father Martin Graham.
16: Malachy of Armagh, by Cllr Dr Ian Adamson OBE, Friday, January 14. 2011
SDLP dinner 2011, Wednesday, February 2. 2011
High Sheriff, Tuesday, January 25. 2011
'New era’ as Prince Charles visits Belfast Catholic church Belfast Telegraph, Saturday, 5 February 2011