![\"inside-the-st-augustine-and-st-john-catholic-church-but-is-popularly-known-as-johns-lane-church-dublin-ireland\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791660254_691_.jpeg\")
\n A picture taken inside the church. Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n
FOR AROUND 20 years, the bells at one of Dublin\u2019s most recognisable churches have been largely silent.<\/p>\n
But on Sunday morning, the sound of 10 church bells will once again ring out regularly over Thomas Street, thanks to a small group of volunteers determined to bring an old tradition back to life.<\/p>\n
And for the man leading the effort, it\u2019s something of a homecoming.<\/p>\n
Michael Ryan first climbed the spiral staircase at St Augustine and St John\u2019s Church, better known as John\u2019s Lane, around 50 years ago, when he was an altar boy.<\/p>\n
Now he\u2019s back at the Liberties site as \u2018ringing master\u2019, having spent the past few months helping to get the bells ready for their return.<\/p>\n
Speaking to The Journal, Ryan said regular ringing at the church stopped around two decades ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody might go up and ring now and again,\u201d he explained, but there had been no regular ringing for decades.<\/p>\n
That will change tomorrow, when the bells are due to ring for Mass between 10.30am and 11.30am.<\/p>\n
\n A picture taken inside the church. Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n
Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n
Ryan and a group of around eight ringers, drawn from other Dublin towers, have been busy cleaning out the tower and preparing its bells.<\/p>\n
There was quite a bit of clearing out to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI brought down about 50 [rubbish] bags from the tower,\u201d Ryan said.<\/p>\n
An English specialist company was also brought over to service the bells, while new ropes are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
The group held its first practice on Thursday, and Ryan said the friars at the church have been hugely supportive.<\/p>\n
One even sent him a text after hearing the bells, telling him they sounded well.<\/p>\n
\u201cLittle things like that give you a great boost,\u201d Ryan said.\n<\/p>\n
A return to where it all began<\/p>\n
The bells have been part of life on Thomas Street for more than 150 years.<\/p>\n
The original eight were cast by Dublin bellfounder John Murphy, whose foundry stood opposite the church, and were first rung on St Patrick\u2019s Day in 1873.<\/p>\n
Two more bells, made by Charles Carr of Smethwick in England, were added in 1898, bringing the total to 10.<\/p>\n
The church itself opened in 1874, with its spire rising more than 200 feet above the Liberties.<\/p>\n
Ryan said the bells\u2019 local origins make them particularly special.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re sort of unique in a sense of being Murphy bells, and unique that they were made in the same street as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But it was the mysterious staircase at the back of the church, rather than the bells themselves, that first caught Ryan\u2019s attention as a young altar boy.<\/p>\n
He remembered watching men disappear up the stairs and wondering what was going on above.<\/p>\n
![\"roman-catholic-church-johns-lane-church-in-dublin-ireland\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791660254_587_.jpeg\")
\n The steeple of the church. Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n
Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n
Eventually, curiosity got the better of him. He followed them up, discovered the ringing chamber and was hooked.<\/p>\n
Ryan spent several years ringing at John\u2019s Lane before moving to Taney Church in Dundrum, where he also served as ringing master.<\/p>\n
Now, half a century later, he\u2019s back where it all started.<\/p>\n
And despite the rather grand-sounding job title, Ryan insists there\u2019s nothing particularly mysterious about being a ringing master.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasically that\u2019s just a person in charge,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
New ringers wanted<\/p>\n
The group now hopes to recruit more people to keep the bells ringing.<\/p>\n
There are 10 bells in the tower, but only around eight people currently involved, so Ryan is eager to hear from anyone who might fancy trying something different.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great hobby. You make great friends, and it\u2019s a great social life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bell ringing has also taken him around the world, with enthusiasts often welcomed into churches and cathedrals abroad.<\/p>\n
And he insists that learning isn\u2019t as daunting as it might seem.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you can guess, the rope goes up, and the rope comes down,\u201d Ryan joked, explaining that beginners first learn how to start, stop and control a bell.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just takes a bit of practice. It\u2019s like riding a bicycle.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group plans to practise on Thursday evenings and ring for Sunday Mass.<\/p>\n
Ryan is also keen to show prospective recruits around the tower, which offers sweeping views across Dublin.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a stunning view, and a stunning church,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Anyone interested in joining the John\u2019s Lane bell ringers can contact the group at johnslanebellringers@gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FOR AROUND 20 years, the bells at one of Dublin\u2019s most recognisable churches have been largely silent. But…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":650835,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4401,275948,275949,243861,61,60,1037,43],"class_list":["post-650834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-bell","tag-bells-are-back-in-town","tag-boys-are-ba","tag-church","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-john","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650834\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/650835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}