Complex sentence: John's Lane Augustinian Church was designed by Augustus Pugin and opened in 1874; the twelve statues in the tower niches are the work of sculptor James Pearse, the father of Irish patriots Patrick and William Pearse.
Split into simpler sentences: John's Lane Augustinian Church was designed by Augustus Pugin and opened in 1874. On a historical note; the twelve statues in the tower niches are the work of sculptor James Pearse, the father of Irish patriots Patrick and William Pearse.