The Cathedral of St. Brendan, Loughrea, is the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

church of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Clonfert The Diocese of Clonfert ( ga, Deoise Chluain Fearta) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the western part of Ireland. It is in the Metropolitan Province of Tuam. The Most Reverend Michael Duignan was appointed by the Holy See on 16 July 2019 and o ...

. Though designed in neo-gothic style, it arguably houses the most extensive collection of arts and crafts and

Celtic Revival The Celtic Revival (also referred to as the Celtic Twilight) is a variety of movements and trends in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries that see a renewed interest in aspects of Celtic culture. Artists and writers drew on the traditions of Gael ...

artifacts of any single building in Ireland. Its most noteworthy feature is the extensive collection of stained glass windows by the Dublin-based

An Túr Gloine An Túr Gloine (; Irish for "The Glass Tower") was a cooperative studio for stained glass and ''opus sectile'' artists from 1903 until 1944, based in Dublin, Ireland. History An Túr Gloine was conceived of in late 1901 and established January 19 ...

studio. There are also twenty-four embroidered banners, mostly depicting Irish saints as well as vestments by the

Dun Emer Guild The Dun Emer Guild (1902–1964) was an Irish Arts and Crafts textile studio founded in 1902 by Evelyn Gleeson, initially in partnership with Elizabeth and Lily Yeats as Dun Emer Industries and Press. History The Dun Emer Guild was the textile pr ...

. Sculptors represented are John Hughes (sculptor) and Michael Shortall, and the architect William Alphonsus Scott also contributed designs for metalwork and woodwork. The foundation stone was laid on 10 October 1897 and the structure was completed in 1902; most of the interior features date from the first decade on the twentieth century with the exception of the stained glass windows which continued to be commissioned up until the 1950s. The origins of

and that of the cathedral's decorative scheme are inextricably connected. Among the studio's first orders were three apse windows, in 1903, for the new cathedral and virtually all of the studio's artists such as

Michael Healy (artist) Michael Healy (14 November 1873 – 22 September 1941) was an Irish stained glass artist, one of a small number which included Wilhelmina Geddes, Evie Hone, and Harry Clarke, who achieved international recognition for their work in this medium i ...

, Alfred E. Child,

Sarah Purser Sarah Henrietta Purser RHA (22 March 1848 – 7 August 1943) was an Irish artist mainly noted for her work with stained glass. Biography Purser was born in Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire) in County Dublin, and raised in Dungarvan, County Wat ...

Beatrice Elvery Beatrice Moss Elvery, RHA (1883, Dublin – 1970, Rockall, Sandycove) was a painter, Irish stained-glass artist and sculptor. Early life Beatrice Moss Elvery was born in 1883, the second daughter of the Dublin businessman, William Elvery, ...

Ethel Rhind Ethel Rhind (1 December 1877 – 6 March 1952) was an Irish stained-glass and mosaic artist, who was associated with An Túr Gloine. Life and education Rhind was born 1 December 1877 in Arrah, Bihar, India. Her father was Robert Hunter Rhind, a ...

Hubert McGoldrick Hubert Vincent McGoldrick (1897 — 22 November 1967) was a Dublin-born stained glass artist, one of a small number of Irish artists which included Michael Healy, Wilhelmina Geddes, Evie Hone, and Harry Clarke, who worked in this medium and achi ...

, Catherine Amelia O'Brien and

Evie Hone Eva Sydney Hone RHA (22 April 1894 – 13 March 1955), usually known as Evie, was an Irish painter and stained glass artist.Nicola Gordon Bowe (May 2009)Hone, Eva Sydney (1894–1955) ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', online editi ...

are represented. There are ten windows by Michael Healy, including the first one he both designed and executed, ''St Simeon'', and also one of his undisputed finest, ''The Last Judgement'' completed in 1940, a year before he died.Caron, Thomas David. ''An Túr Gloine and Michael Healy (1873 –1941)'' unpublished PhD thesis, Trinity College Dublin, 1991

References

External links

Official Website

Tourist Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Brendan's Cathedral, Loughrea Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Republic of Ireland Roman Catholic Diocese of Clonfert Roman Catholic churches completed in 1902 Religion in County Galway 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Ireland