From the early part of the 18th century, when bishops and regular clergy were banned under penal laws, secular clergy served the parish of Donabate from a mass house. This mass house was replaced in 1804 by a church built on land donated by the Lord Trimleston, a Catholic and member of the Barnewall family of Turvey House. The church subsequently became the Parish Hall, a hub of local community activity where the Library Committee for Donabate was established in 1906. An anti-conscription meeting was held there in 1918 and over the years the hall has hosted dances, concerts, garden produce displays and dog shows. In the 1940s a boxing club trained and held tournaments there under the direction of a Mr Warrington. The hall also provided the initial office for the Donabate and District Credit Union when it opened in 1968.
