We are delighted to be the first Murugan Temple in Ireland and the first Hindu Temple outside the Dublin region. It had its Maha Kumbabishekam (First day Prayer) on June 9, 2022, More than one hundred people joined us as we celebrated the opening day. Amongst those in attendance was Deputy Mayor of Athlone, Cllr Aengus O’Rourke, Cllr. Frankie Keena and Cllr Emer Kelly as well as people from multiple nationalities who arrived from across Ireland.

 

The establishment of a midlands temple to facilitate members of the Hindu community outside of Dublin became very necessary as the Hindu community is a growing community in Ireland with 13,729 members recorded by the CSO in 2016 and today, as we await the results of the recent census to confirm the exact figure, it is estimated that the number of practitioners of the Hindu religion in Ireland is approximately in excess of 17,000 people.

 

Our Temple was established in 2019 but like so many other official openings and events over the last two years our opening celebrations were delayed because of the Covid pandemic but now we are looking forward to opening our doors to the Hindu community and indeed the wider community.

 

The Ireland Murugan Temple will be a centre for all religious and cultural activities and events to promote the teachings, scriptures and philosophies of Hinduism and the Hindu religion. The central midlands location of the Temple will ensure a more accessible and local centre for worship, social service, education and teaching for the Hindu community in the midlands and beyond.

 

While the primary function of the Temple is the offering of weekly Hindu prayer services, Pooja, and spiritual support a key function of the Temple will also be to act as a centre of interreligious connection and understanding. It is important that in an increasingly multi-faith and pluralist Ireland that our Temple will have a role in promoting mutual respect, understanding, tolerance and harmony with other churches, faiths and community groups.

 

Our doors will always open in welcome to visitors from other church groups and faiths.The Ireland Murugan Temple will also have a role as a community centre promoting the arts, conducting social, literary, and cultural events like Yoga and Meditation. All are welcome to partake in such events as we seek to establish our Temple as a viable and integrated part of the greater community. It is our intention to ensure the Temple has a visible and active presence in the community through involvement in other non-Hindu cultural events like the St Patrick’s Day Parade and other such festivities.