The Black Church (St Mary's Chapel of Ease)

Dublin · Ireland · Church

Walk three times anticlockwise around the coal-black church at midnight, Dubliners say, and the devil meets you on the last circuit.

St Mary's Chapel of Ease was raised in 1830 by the architect John Semple in dark calp stone that soaks up rain and turns coal-black in daylight. Almost at once it acquired its nickname and its own curse: whoever walks three times anticlockwise around the church at midnight will meet the devil as the third circuit closes. Stricter versions require you to keep your eyes shut and recite the Hail Mary backwards. Countless Dublin children have tried it and run away on the second lap. That the dare was common property is clear from the poet Austin Clarke, who titled his first volume of memoirs Twice Round the Black Church — twice, never three times. The church closed in the 1960s. Today it holds offices; the third lap is still attempted.

FAQ

Where is The Black Church (St Mary's Chapel of Ease) located?

The Black Church (St Mary's Chapel of Ease) is in Dublin, Ireland.