Holywood, Co.Down is a (rather posh!) suburb in North Down, between Belfast and Bangor, and part of Northern Ireland’s gold coast, – the so called ’stockbroker belt.’  I happened to be driving through it on Monday 1st September 2025, en-route to Newtownards. As I drove past St Colmcille’s Catholic Church, I reminded myself that I’d promised to take a closer look at this remarkable building, set high on a hill on the approach to the town, a fusion of an old bell-tower and a modern circular building. So, on my return journey, I stopped for twenty minutes or so, armed with the Fujifilm X-T50.

It is that fusion of the ancient and modern that makes this building intriguing. The original building was begun in 1872 and finished around two years later. In August, 1989 the original building was destroyed by fire and only the spire and bell-tower remained unscarred. Restored, they became the focal point of the modern building erected beside, opened to the public in 1995.

Because the building sets on a small hill, and (without a drone!) the images were all captured looking up at the building, and needed some vertical correction in Lightroom.