St. Marys Chapel of Ease universally known as 'The Black Church' [Dublin - Ireland]

Local lore says that if you walk anti clockwise around the church three times at midnight, you will summon the devil. The Black Church is mentioned briefly in the novel Ulysses by Irish author James Joyce, in the chapter entitled 'Oxen of the Sun', as the location of one of Bello's many sins: He went through a form of clandestine marriage with at least one woman in the shadow of the Black Church. Joyce lived for a few months only yards from the Church in Broadstone, at 44 Fontenoy Street, one of the Joyce family's many temporary homes around Dublin. He stayed there with his son Giorgio from July to September 1909 and again alone from October 1909 to June 1910 while trying to set up the first cinema in Dublin. It was the favorite Church of infamous English Poet Sir John Betjeman and the Dubliner Austin Clarke. Clarke mentions the local legend of ‘Old Nick’ appearing in his 1962 autobiography titled Twice Round the Black Church.

It would appear that a number of churches are making similar claims and there is therefore some confusion. It may also be the case that John Betjeman described many churches as being favourites using slightly different wording in each case. It may also be the case that he changed his opinion with the passing of time. For example according to archiseek in the case of Monkstown Church: "This was the poet John Betjeman’s favourite church (he preferred it to the Cathedral of Westminister and visited it while based in Dublin during the 1940s)". In the case of St. Marys part of their description is as follows: "Closed in 1962, and converted into offices, this was Sir John Betjeman’s favourite church in Dublin. Known locally as the Black Church, legend has it that if you run around it three times in an anti-clockwise direction at midnight, it will summon the devil – immortalised in an Austin Clarke poem". Note "Favourite Church In Dublin". Wikipedia and a number of tourist guides use the following phrase "It was the favorite Church of infamous English Poet Sir John Betjeman and the Dubliner Austin Clarke" when describing St.Marys [I am assuming a common source].