In 1693 this was replaced by a church, also dedicated to St Mary, and was located at the bottom of Mallow Lane, modern day Shandon Street.

Due to population growth, it was decided to build anew on this ancient site and so in 1722 the present Church of St Anne, Shandon was constructed.

[3] The distinct colours are recorded in a rhyme collected by 19th-century antiquary Thomas Crofton Croker, which he attributes to 18th-century Catholic priest and writer Father Arthur O'Leary: Party-coloured, like the people, Red and white stands Shandon SteepleThe church is noted for its 8 bells,[5] immortalised in the song "The Bells of Shandon" by Francis Sylvester Mahony.

On top of this pepper pot is a weather vane in the form of a salmon, representing the fishing of the River Lee.

[9] The christening font, dated 1629, is a relic from the church destroyed in the siege of Cork in 1690 and bears the inscription, "Walter Elinton and William Ring made this pant[a] at their charges".