The Masonic Centre
The North Munster Masonic Centre in Limerick is located in the tourist and heritage area of the city, directly across the road from King John’s Castle and beside the former Bishop & Lady's Palace (now the headquarters of Limerick Civic Trust). The building occupies the site of the old St Munchin’s Church Hall and incorporates parts of that building in the museum area. The Foundation Stone for the Masonic Centre was laid on June 10th, 1999 at a ceremony that was attended by representatives from Government, Local Government as well as a number of members of the Order. The official opening, which took place on Friday, September 23rd, 2005, was performed by the then Minister for Defense, local TD Willie O'Dea.
Since the official opening three fine stained glass windows have been all designed and completed by the late brother David Knowles to whom the Province is very grateful. He was ably assisted in the installations by his brother Herbert.
The Masonic Centre houses a large lodge room containing ornate furniture, acquired over the centuries and of historic interest in itself. This room is used for all major meetings held in the Province. There is also a smaller Chapter Room used for smaller meetings, in addition to offices and a dining room. A grant from Shannon Development under their Tourism & Heritage Innovation Program helped to complete the museum and library which is open to the public by prior arrangement. To make a visit please follow the e-mail link below or contact Limerick Civic Trust who can organise guided tours for groups. One of the many features of the museum is a reconstructed portion in similar stonework of the original wall of the coach house and stable used by the Bishop of Limerick in the 1740's. Some other parts of the original building have also been retained in the museum area.
The museum contains many articles of masonic interest including medals, masonic jewels and silverware and historical regalia. One of the artefacts in which the Freemasons of North Munster take great pride is the ancient brass square known as the “Baal's Bridge Square”. The original brass square was recovered from the foundations of Baal's Bridge in Limerick when the bridge was being rebuilt in 1830. It is inscribed “I will strive to live with Love & Care Upon the level By the Square” and bears the date, 1507. This Square is one of the earliest Masonic items found anywhere in the world.
Freemasonry has been intimately involved in civic life in the Ireland for many years, although often keeping a low profile. Past Provincial Grand Masters in North Munster have included Sir James Spaight and Sir Charles Barrington, names that are still closely associated with the city of Limerick, although now only through architecture and place names. It is recognised that in the past Freemasonry was associated with the protestant community and in some respects was seen as a gentlemen’s club within that group. Historians will know that Limerick city has a rather turbulent history of community relations and different religious groups maintained separation, with varying degrees of animosity, until recent times. Limerick and Templemore, the original home of Lodge 311, were garrison towns and up to 1920 this was an important factor in Freemason membership. In the North Munster Masonic museum is a commemoration showing the names of the members in the Province who fought in the Great War, many never came back. In the nineteenth century Freemasonry had quite a strong public profile, with parades and masonic news reported in the local press. However, from the foundation of the State, the Order in the Republic maintained a low profile and did not encourage enquiry, but this changed through the 1970’s and 1980’s. The opening up of the economy to external investment and the gradual loss of old suspicions allowed the Order to broaden its appeal, which resulted in rapidly changing patterns of membership. This process continues today with a membership which is diverse in origin and religious affiliation, and broadly reflects society at large. The membership in North Munster now includes brethren from North and South America, from Africa and Asia and of course various parts of Europe.
Individual Lodge Histories
These more detailed pages are aimed at Masonic and local historians, and perhaps would be members, and it is hoped that they will provide a fruitful source of information. They include a history of the Province of North Munster and the individual lodges as presently constituted with some additional related information. They are not the work of professional historians, rather they are the efforts of individual lodge members and should be approached as such.
Freemasonry has been intimately involved in civic life in the Ireland for many years, although sometimes keeping a low profile. One of the earliest Masonic artefacts in the world, the Baal's Bridge Square link to http://www.irishmasonichistory.com/the-baals-bridge-square-1507.html, dated 1507 and found when the old bridge was dismantled in 1830, shows the antiquity of the Order in Limerick. In the nineteenth century Past Provincial Grand Masters of North Munster have included Sir James Spaight and Sir Charles Barrington, names that are still closely associated with the city of Limerick, although now only through architecture and place names. It is recognised that in the past Freemasonry was associated with the protestant community and in some respects was seen as a gentlemen’s club within that group. Historians will know that Limerick city has a rather turbulent history of community relations and different religious groups remained socially separated, with varying degrees of animosity, until recent times. Limerick and Templemore, the original home of Lodge 311, were garrison towns and up to 1920 this was an important factor in Freemason membership. In the North Munster Masonic museum is a commemoration board Link to picture of board which is needed showing the names of the members in the Province who fought in the Great War, and many never came back.
In the nineteeenth century Freemasonry had quite a strong public profile, with parades and masonic news reported in the local press. However, from the foundation of the State, the Order in the Republic maintained a low profile and did not encourage enquiry, but this changed through the 1970’s and 1980’s. The opening up of the economy to external investment and the gradual loss of old suspicions allowed the Order to broaden its appeal, which resulted in rapidly changing patterns of membership. This process continues today with a membership which is diverse in origin and religious affiliation, and broadly reflects society at large. The membership in North Munster now includes brethren from North and South America, from Africa and Asia and of course various parts of Europe.
These pages provide a detailed history of the Province of North Munster link to history of Province below, written in 2017 by WBro Paul Deegan, and some information on each of the seven constituent lodges link to history of constituent lodges below.
A complete history of the Privincial Lodge of North Munster
St. Patrick's Lodge 311 St Patrick’s Lodge meets in the Masonic Hall, Roscrea and is the only lodge in North Munster meeting outside of Limerick city. The warrant of this Lodge was originally issued to a lodge in Dublin on the 5th April 1759, but that lodge was struck of the books for non-attendance and non-payment of dues, before 1773/4, and probably in 1760. On the 9th December 1809 the warrant was issued to a Lodge in Templemore, only to be cancelled in June 1837, with arrears not paid. However, that lodge was revived in 1842 and remained in place until 2nd December 1926 when the warrant was returned. It seems likely that during this period the lodge was associated with the presence of the army garrison in the town. The lodge was again resuscitated on 1st March 1945 by Worshipful Brother Lloyd who was an assistant bank manager in the town, together with a number of brethren from Huntingdon Lodge number 307. The meetings were held in the front room of WBro Lloyd’s house, but after a short time they moved to the church hall, which also doubled up as a classroom for the local school. However, this was not to last as the rector objected when evidence of a Masonic festive board was left behind on the premises which had to also function as a school. Most of the brethren were from Roscrea and so they decided to move to that town and become tenants of lodge 307 there, where they still remain to this day.
Triune Lodge 333 Triune Lodge, first met in Limerick in 1846, and appears to have drawn many of its first members from the neighbouring Antient Union Lodge No. 13. The minutes of the Grand Lodge Board of General Purposes record that on the 29th December 1845 they read the Memorial of Bros. Saml. Dickson, Wm. Massy and Henry Massy all of Lodge No. 13, for a new Warrant to be held in Limerick, and this was recommended by the Provincial Grand Master of North Munster and the Masters of Lodges 13 and 73. The Board recommend that a warrant be granted to the Memorialists and the warrant granted was No 333. This had previously been held by lodges in Caledon, County Tyrone in 1759 and a lodge in Tynan, County Armagh in 1801, both these lodges becoming defunct. The name of the Lodge is unusual and it seems likely that Triune, (Tria Juncta in Uno or Three in One), was suggested by the number of the warrant, although that name does not seem to have been used by the previous warrant holders. The number three has various Masonic significances, as well as the obvious religious meaning, and so the awarding of Warrant number 333 would be fortuitous. One of the original by-laws of the Lodge limited the total membership to 33, although this has since been changed. The year of the foundation of the Lodge, during the Great Famine, was one of great tragedy for the people of Limerick and it has to be recognised that the membership of the Lodge at that time was only available to the better off. Details of that initial membership is sketchy but the names of the founding members of the Lodge, Massy and Dickson, represent two well-known and prosperous Limerick families, the Massys holding lands in Castleconnell and Galbally, and the Dicksons at Croom Castle. The secretary of the Lodge in 1847, and presumably the founding secretary, was Right Worshipful Brother Micheal Furnell who was also the Provincial Grand Master of North Munster, a Freemason of the highest rank, and also a Limerick landowner. The original initiation fee was ten guineas and the annual dues were £5.00, very large sums of money in those days. Records show that the Lodge got off to a good start and we read in The Freemasons’ Quarterly Review for December 1846, This lodge, not yet twelve months formed, displays a regalia of singular taste and value; and has subscribed handsomely to Masonic Charities! to the Poor Relief Fund of the parish, and to the Grand Lodge building fund. Such are the acts which best prove its high character. Other records from the same period show substantial charity donations from this Lodge and from related Masonic bodies for local relief. In 1847, the well-known New England Masonic author and educator, Charles Whitlock Moore (1801-1873) shown here in 1858, was made an honorary member of the Lodge, and expressed his appreciation in The Freemasons’ Monthly Magazine, edited in Boston, although it is not clear that he ever visited the lodge. The Lodge then appears to have worked without incident until late in 1862 when the warrant was returned to Grand Lodge for a period of just over a year before being coming back to Limerick. The reasons for this hiatus are not known, but perhaps falling membership was to blame. However, from 1863 onwards the Lodge has worked without interruption and in the latter half of the nineteenth century appears to have been strong enough in numbers to have associated with it a Royal Arch Chapter No. 333, and a Preceptory of High Knights Templar. Eventually all the Limerick based Preceptories were merged into one, but Royal Arch Chapter 333 continues to meet in Limerick. In the Great War the members of the lodge answered the call with many members serving in the forces and some paying the ultimate price. During this time it seems that a number of servicemen stationed in the Limerick barracks, but strangers to the area joined the lodge. On the left is a portrait of Arnold Ashleigh, Worshipful Master of the Triune Lodge in 1908, promoted to Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant in the Royal Munster Fusiliers in 1915 and who died in Barrington’s Hospital in 1940 aged 71. On the right a photograph of Sergeant Joseph Gray during the Army Athletics Meeting held in Aldershot in July 1912. He was a member of the winning 2nd Battalion, York & Lancaster, Relay Team and he joined Triune Lodge in 1914 whilst stationed in Limerick. He was the recipient of several military awards and was killed in action in 1915. Throughout the forty-year period 1920 to 1970 the lodge maintained a relatively low profile, drawing its membership from within local families and having a close association with the parishioners of the local protestant churches. However, with the increasing industrialisation of the 1970’s the changing membership of the lodge reflected the diversification of society and now includes brethren from various countries and from three continents. Today the membership of the lodge is representative of wider society in Limerick and the costs of membership are modest compared with 1846. In recent years fraternal relations have been established with Royal Preston Lodge, No. 333, English Constitution and the Lodge of St. George, No. 333, Scottish Constitution, and a number of exchange visits have taken place. The lodge meets in the North Munster Masonic Centre on the evening of the third Friday of the month excepting June, July and August and it welcomes enquiries about membership from all men of good intention.
A short history of Dalcassian Lodge 950, and its Warrant. Dalcassian Lodge 950 is the newest lodge in the Province of North Munster and is seventh lodge within the Province under the Irish constitution of Freemasonry under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Ireland. The inauguration ceremony of Dalcassian lodge 950 took place on the 26th of October 2024 presided over by the Most Wor. Grand Master and his officers. The Province of North Munster encompasses parts of the counties of Tipperary, all of Limerick and that of the County of Clare. Dalcassian lodge 950 represents the county of Clare which, at one point, in its masonic history had six lodges. These lodges were located in the towns of Kilrush, Scariff, Tulla, Crusheen, Sixmilebridge, and Ennis. The last masonic lodge sitting in Clare returned its warrant to the Grand lodge was that of Dunboyne lodge 60. Lodge 60, as it was first called, met in the county town of Ennis, before moving to Knappogue Castle, on the outskirts of Quin village, under the Honourable Theobald Fitzwalter Butler, the 14th Lord Dunboyne. Then in 1866 to commemorate the memory of the Rt. Wor. Bro. The Lord Dunboyne, who had become Provincial Grand Master of North Munster 1866 -1881, Lodge 60 changed its name to Dunboyne lodge 60. Before once again returning to Ennis in the early part of the 20th C. Lord Dunboyne also became a member of our sister lodge, Triune lodge 333, during his tenure as the Treasurer of the Grand lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland 1828. Dunboyne Lodge 60 returned its warrant to the Grand lodge in the 1960s and was the last masonic lodge in the County of Clare. The warrant was reissued to the Harp and Crown lodge, Ballymena in the 1980s under the jurisdiction of the PGL of Antrim, and has since fostered a great relationship with Brethren in North Munster, and Dalcassian Lodge in particular. Thus, with the return of lodge 60's warrant the county of Clare lost the last vestige of masonic representation. This, was one of the many reasons for the establishment of Dalcassian lodge 950. Warrant #950 The warrant number 950 was issued by the Grand lodge of Ireland in 1804 to union lodge 950. Union lodge was a travelling military lodge, The 53rd Regiment of Foot, 1st Battalion. The 1st battalion left for India in April 1805 where it undertook a punitive expedition to the Fortress of Callinger in Allahabad Province in February 1812. It also helped secure a pyrrhic victory at the Battle of Nalapani in October 1814 during the Anglo-Nepalese War. The 1st battalion also took part in engagements against Pindari forces in 1817 during the Third Anglo-Maratha War and did not return home until July 1823. Meanwhile, the 2nd battalion embarked for Portugal for service in the Peninsular War in March 1809. It took part in the Second Battle of Porto in May 1809[23] and the Battle of Talavera in July 1809 before falling back to the Lines of Torres Vedras. It then fought at the Blockade of Almeida in April 1811, the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro in May 1811 and the Battle of Almaraz in May 1812 as well as the Battle of Salamanca in July 1812, the Siege of Burgos in September 1812 and the Battle of Vitoria in June 1813. The battalion then pursued the French Army into France and fought at the Battle of the Pyrenees in July 1813, the Siege of San Sebastián in autumn 1813 and the Battle of Nivelle in November 1813 as well as the Battle of Toulouse in April 1814. The battalion returned home in July 1814. In August 1815 the 2nd battalion accompanied Napoleon into his exile on the island of Saint Helena. It returned home in September 1817 and was disbanded at Canterbury in October 1817. The warrant having travelled to India and the Americas, was returned in 1824. Masonic Jewels of Dalcassian Lodge 950. The jewels were gifted to Dalcassian from a former lodge, BWD Montgomery Lodge #434. BWD Montgomery was a member of ARK Lodge X (10), and a very prominent member of the order. His fellow brethren of Ark Lodge (X), formed lodge 434 in his memory, shortly after his passing. 434 met for many years in Arthur Square, Belfast for approximately 90 years, then moving to Crumlin Road Masonic Hall Belfast, closing on Wednesday 4th October 2023. Dalcassian and County Clare The Dalcassians (Irish: Dál gCais) are a Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent from Tál Cas. Brian Bóruma is perhaps the best-known king from the dynasty and was responsible to a significant degree for carving out their fortunes. The family had built a power base on the banks of the River Shannon and Brian's brother Mahon became their first King of Munster From the 12th–16th centuries, the Dál gCais contented themselves with being reduced to the Kingdom of Thomond. During the 13th century, Richard Strongbow's relatives, the Norman de Clares attempted to take Thomond, but the Dál gCais held firm. It wasn't until the 16th century, unable to be defeated militarily, that they agreed to surrender and regrant their kingdom to Henry VIII Tudor, joining the nobility of the Kingdom of Ireland. Their realm was renamed County Clare. In this way, Dalcassian Lodge 950, brings together, the antient history of Clare, renews an old Warrant, and brings Freemasonry into the 21st Century. Thus, Dalcassian lodge 950 has a history and a past that will form part of the tapestry of its future. Wor Bro John R. K. Donovan
Ancient Union Lodge 13 Updates to come!
Eden Lodge 73 Updates to come!
Ormonde Lodge 201 Updates to come!
Excelsior Lodge 268 Updates to come!