St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick: A Medieval Church and Place of Worship
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.6
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- Ireland
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Cathedral
On this page11 sections
History
St Mary’s Cathedral is a Gothic church in Ireland, founded in 1168 traditionally by Domnall Mór Ua Briain, the last King of Munster. Built on King’s Island at the site of his palace, it is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and remains the oldest building in Limerick still in use.
Medieval foundation
Saint Mary’s Church had already been designated the cathedral church of the Diocese of Limerick by the Synod of Ráth Breasail in 1111. The present cathedral was established later on the site of Domnall Mór Ua Briain’s palace. That palace occupied an earlier Viking Thingmote, a meeting and assembly place connected with Viking administration and law. The site had therefore served as a centre of government in the early medieval Viking city, described as the Vikings’ most westerly European stronghold.
The cathedral’s west entrance is traditionally identified with the principal entrance of the palace, and parts of the earlier building may have been incorporated into the church. The medieval foundation gave the site a continuing religious and civic role in Limerick.
Religious and political change
St Mary’s Cathedral belongs to the Church of Ireland, the Anglican church in Ireland. It was formerly Roman Catholic and once served as the cathedral of the Diocese of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe. It is now one of six cathedrals in the Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe, within the ecclesiastical Province of Dublin.
During the Irish Confederacy wars, the cathedral briefly came under Roman Catholic control. Richard Arthur, the Roman Catholic bishop of Limerick, was buried there in 1646. After Oliver Cromwell’s forces captured Limerick in 1651, the parliamentary army used the cathedral as a stable. The troops removed the original high altar, which was not returned until the 1960s.
Siege, damage, and repair
The cathedral suffered substantial damage during the Williamite siege of Limerick in 1691. The siege formed part of the Williamite War in Ireland, a conflict between supporters of the Catholic King James II and those of the Protestant William III and Mary II. Damage was especially severe at the eastern end. Following the Treaty of Limerick, William granted £1,000 for repairs.
Restoration and continuing use
A major restoration carried out from 1991 to 1996 included excavating and relaying the floors and installing underfloor central heating. Smaller restoration projects have continued since then. The cathedral remains a place of worship and prayer and holds a Grade 1 heritage designation.
In 1968, the Irish Government commissioned two postage stamps to mark the cathedral’s eight-hundredth anniversary. Sandra Ann Pragnell became Dean of Limerick and rector of Limerick City Parish in 2012, the first woman to hold both positions there. She retired in January 2017, and Canon Niall James Sloane became the cathedral’s 63rd dean and rector of Limerick City Parish later that year.
Remains
The cathedral survives as a Gothic church with medieval fabric, later additions, historic interior furnishings, burial places, and memorials. Its west entrance, tower, chapels, chancel, and surrounding graveyard preserve evidence of the building’s long religious and civic history.
West entrance and medieval fabric
The great west door is traditionally regarded as the principal entrance of Domnall Mór Ua Briain’s palace. It remains associated with the installation ceremony of the bishops of Limerick, who have entered through it for centuries. Stonework around the entrance bears marks traditionally attributed to defenders sharpening swords and arrows during sieges of Limerick. Parts of the palace may survive within the present cathedral.
Bell tower
Added in the fourteenth century, the tower rises approximately 36.5 metres, or 120 feet. It contains eight bells, six cast by John Taylor & Co. of Loughborough and two at the Whitechapel foundry in London. A stationary service bell in the tower can be rung from the ground floor.
Interior furnishings
The cathedral contains Ireland’s only complete surviving set of misericords. These are small carved ledges beneath hinged choir seats, designed to support someone standing during lengthy services. Five chandeliers hang from the ceiling, with the three largest made in Dublin and presented by Limerick Corporation in 1759. The organ, donated by Bishop Bernard Adams in 1624, has been rebuilt several times, most recently in 1968 and 2005.
High altar and chapels
The original high altar is carved from a single block of limestone. It is described as the largest altar of its type in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The altar remains in its historic position in the Lady Chapel, a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, where it is used for communion services at major festivals. Glentworth Chapel, also called Saint George’s Chapel, preserves cannonballs from the 1691 siege.
Burials and memorials
The graveyard contains the grave of the physician Samuel Crumpe near the great west door. Prince Milo of Montenegro, Frances Condell, the first woman mayor of Limerick, and Bishop Charles Graves are also interred in the grounds. Domnall, identified as the last High King of Munster, is traditionally said to have been buried in the cathedral, and remnants of a stone coffin attributed to him remain visible in the chancel. Bishop Cornelius O’Dea lies with other Bishops of Limerick in what is believed to be a bishops’ burial vault beneath the chancel. The Sexton, Barrington, Boyd, and Vanderkiste tombs stand along the southern entrance pathway, while the grounds also contain a United Nations memorial plaque naming Irish men who died while serving in United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Nearby sites
