According to reliable sources the church organ dates from between 1900 and 1910 which makes it just 100 years old and still sounding pretty good, 'though in need of a major overhaul. During the late 19th and early 20th century organ building in Dublin was practically non-existent and the number of organs built could be counted on one hand. It seems that the organ here was built by T.W.Magahy who hailed from Cork -- among other fine organs built by him is the organ at St. Patrick's Church, Cork and St. Finn barre's Cathedral in Cork...and in the Hall of The Church of Ireland Training College, Kildare Street, Dublin.

In 1940 a new organist was appointed to John's Lane church.  Daniel (Dal) McNulty was no ordinary organist and it was evident from the start that here was a first-class musician.  Dal was blind from his early years but he had this one great gift which he had mastered.  When he directed the Augustinian Students' choir, he introduced a great deal of polyphony and motets.

Dal went from success to success over the years and became a composer and arranger of music of no mean calibre.  For over forty years he gave the congregations of John's Lane church the wealth and variety of his great talents and is recognized as one of Ireland's foremost organists.  Dal McNulty has since passed on, but happily for us here, his great gifts are still passed on to us by his wife Ann, who is the John's Lane organist today.

Our organ restortion expert, Mr. Richard Meates, tells me that there are "well over 1,500 pipes in the organ "  and that it could be up to 8 tonnes in weight.