St. Nicholas is the name of the local patron saint. He came to Dunlavin in the year 460. He first made friends with the chief of a clan which lived in a Dun on Tournant moat. Tournant moat is about one mile from Dunlavin, and near the moat is the well where he baptized the king and his followers.
The Catholic church was built in the year 1815. There is a statue of St Nicholas in the mens' aisle He is represented standing over a tub in which are three children he is baptizing with the water in the tub. There is a story connected with the three children in the tub.
Their father was a very wicked man and he wished to put his children to death by drowning them in the tub.
St Nicholas heard of this, and he asked the man to spare their lives The man consented on condition that