by Jim McKendrick

St Patrick’s Church lies in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town and has a long and intriguing history stretching over 250 years. Not many churches have served congregations from three denominations. Built between 1771 and 1774 for the Scottish Episcopal Church, it was sold to a Presbyterian Congregation in 1818. When they moved to a building in Infirmary Street, they agreed to sell their redundant building to the Catholic Church

It was bought by Bishop Gillis in 1856 to serve thousands of Irish immigrants who had settled in the Cowgate (Little Ireland) area of Edinburgh. The cost of the new church was £4,000. Half was paid for by the Church; the rest was raised by the people. St Patrick’s was officially opened as a Catholic church on Sunday 3 August 1856 by Bishop Gillis. The congregation present was estimated at 2,600.

Jim McKendrick is a former National President of SSVP Scotland. He worked for many years as a Public Finance consultant to the UK government and the EU. He currently chairs is the Louise Project, a Daughters of charity outreach in Govanhill.