The site was once the location of an old Celtic church founded by Saint Broc which lends its name to Donnybrook (). Later the church of St. Mary was dedicated by the Archbishop of Dublin, Archbishop John Comyn sometime between 1181 and 1212. The church was rebuilt by Archbishop William King in 1720 and by 1827, due to the size of the congregation, a replacement church was built on the corner of Anglesa Road and Simmonscourt Road and dedicated to St. Mary in 1830. The old church was demolished and the materials sold off. There is a small wall in the middle of the cemetery that is thought to be the remains of the old church.Igoe, Vivien (2001). "Dublin Burial Grounds & Graveyards", Wolfhound Press, pp. 86–93,
