cathedrals historical ireland

A spectacular group of medieval buildings set on an outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale including the 12th century round tower, High Cross and Romanesque Chapel, 13th century Gothic cathedral, 15th century castle and the restored Hall of the Vicars.

Features include an audio visual show entitled "Strongholds of Faith", which is available in English, French, Italian and German as well as various other exhibitions.

Please note that this is a very busy site and visitors m...

Down Cathedral built in 1177 with St. Patrick's Grave in the grounds....

The 49-bell Carillon, unique in this country, is played from a console within the belfry. A closed-circuit system shows the carillonneur playing the instrument. To mark this 81st year, an enhanced programme is planned, including guest recitals by leading carillonneurs, grant aided by the Arts Council, the Cork County and Cobh Town Councils.Recitals take place on Sundays from the 4th of May 2008, to 28th of September 2008.

The Carillion is played from a keyboard and pedalboard cons...

The Church of Ireland cathedral (1749 - 1784) is spartan, dignified , eschewing human figures in its stained glass. The GPA Bolton Library is located in the grounds and contains the 18th century book collect of Dean Bolton.

The Catholic Church (1801 -1855 ) is exotic , almost alive with statuary dividing the aisles. Both are named for St John the Baptist and both vonvey a sense of Cashel's religious importance in the wall plaques commemorating Protestant archbishops and Catholic dea...

An early Christian monastery was founded here by St. Colman Mac Lenen who died around 600, but all its buildings were burned in 1137. The cathedral of the present Church of Ireland Diocese was started around 1250, but because of much modernisation, comparatively little of this early church can be seen. The chancel has been heavily modernised; the chancel arch was blocked up in 1705 and removed completely in 1775. The east window was inserted in1856. The Cathedral's most famous Bishop was George...

Archbishop Crolly died during the famine and work on the building was stopped. It began again in 1854 under a new dynamic Bishop, Dr Dixon who appointed another architect, JJ McCarthy to succeed Mr. Duff.

He changed Duff's plan to a purer Gothic Style giving us the lofty twin spires of today's building. Work on the building had again virtually stopped until Dr McGettigan was appointed to Armagh in 1870. He set about the completion of the cathedral and it was dedicated on August 24 1873,...

The anglican cathedral of St Patrick has a medieval core, and was restored in 1765 by Archbishop Robinson. However, its present sandstone exterior is later. The cathdral was brand new when Thackeray visited it in 1842 and admired the eighteenth century monuments inside. These include a stature of Sir Thomas Molyneux by Roubiliac, one of Dean Drelncourt by the Flemish sculptor Rysbrack, and a bust of Archbishop Robinson by Nollekens.

Notice a fine kneeling figure of Primate William Stuart...

Built in 1865, the cathedral remains to be one of Corks most famed landmarks. The cathedral is based on William Burges’s French gothic style design. Burges gave the cathedral a Resurrection Angel, made of coppper and gold leaf as a gift and it is located on the pinnacle of the sanctuary. There is a local superstition which states that if ever the angel is to fall from the roof of the Cathedral, this would signify the end of the world.
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The interior was rebuilt by George Richard Pain, in 1828 following a fire. The tower dates from 1862. John Hogan produced the apostles and the saints figures, and the bas relief, "Last Supper" as well as the Bishop Murphy mural monument. Turnerelli produced the bust of Bishop Moylan....

Armagh Cathedral
Armagh is believed to be one of the oldest towns of Ireland, and that the hill which is central to Armagh contained a prehistoric settlement. But it is more famous for it's association with Saint Patrick, who is said to have established his bishopric there in 444-45, and his church is where the cathedral now stands, There is little left of the original 13th century cathedral as it was "worked over" by the English architect, L.N. Cottingham from 1834-37. Some beautifu...