Architect

Walter Doolin was born in Dublin in 1850 he was the son of a builder,and trained as an architect. St. Carthage's Catholic Church, Lismore, is largely the creation of his skills. His experience in both archicture and building brought him contracts for many churches. His masterpiece is the Gilhooly Memorial Church in Roscommon.

Doolin's churches present an imposing exterior and a colourful and ornate interior with much stained glass,mosiac, and painted ironwork. He injected new life into the Gothic Revival which by his day was running out of steam. Lismore is one of his earlier churches and his only work in the Italian Romanesque style rather than Gothic (Compare Thurles Cathedral by JJ Mc Carthy). The facade is dominated by a rose window framed by the emblems of the four Evangelists (a man, a lion, ox, and an eagle) representing Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John against a background of colourful mosaic. It is moddelled on the facade of St Finbars Cathedral, Cork. The sculptor was John O'Connell of Cork, who also collaborated with Doolin on the Catholic Church at New Ross.

The Church contains some interesting stained glass of the Celtic Revival notably a set of three windows commemorating Saints associated with Lismore; Cathaldus, Carthage, (with a contemporary picture of the Castle) and Coleman.