Saint Mary's Cathedral, Limerick, is a cathedral of the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
in
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, which is dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
. It is in the
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...
of
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. Previously 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
The Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe (full title The United Dioceses of Tuam, Killala, Achonry, Limerick, Ardfert, Aghadoe, Killaloe, Kilfenora, Clonfert, Kilmacduagh and Emly) is a diocese of the Church of Ireland that is located in the ...
.
From the foundation to the Irish Reformation
Limerick Cathedral (Saint Mary's) is dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
and was founded in
1168 and is the oldest building in Limerick which is in use.
[Harvey, Rev. Patrick and Moloney, Donal. A guide to the Cathedral Church of St. Mary The Virgin, Limerick. Limerick. Print.] It has the only complete set of
misericord
A misericord (sometimes named mercy seat, like the biblical object) is a small wooden structure formed on the underside of a folding seat in a church which, when the seat is folded up, is intended to act as a shelf to support a person in a p ...
s left in Ireland.
In
1111
Year 1111 (Roman numerals, MCXI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Levant
* Battle of Shaizar: Sultan Muhammad I Tapar appoints Mawdud, Mawdud ibn Altuntash, Turkic governor (''atabeg'') of Mos ...
, the
Synod of Ráth Breasail
The Synod of Ráth Breasail (or Rathbreasail; ) was a synod of the Catholic Church in Ireland that took place in Ireland in 1111. It marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and parish-based church. Many present-day ...
decided that "Saint Mary's church" would become the cathedral church of the
Diocese of Limerick. According to tradition,
Domnall Mór Ua Briain
Domnall Mór Ua Briain, or Domnall Mór mac Toirrdelbaig Uí Briain, was King of Thomond in History of Ireland, Ireland from 1168 in Ireland, 1168 to 1194 in Ireland, 1194 and a claimant to the title King of Munster. He was also styled History ...
, the last
King of Munster
The kings of Munster () ruled the Kingdom of Munster in Ireland from its establishment during the Irish Iron Age until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasions'', the earli ...
, founded the present cathedral on the site of his palace on
King's Island in 1168.
[Talbot, Very Rev. Maurice. Monuments of St. Mary's Cathedral. Print.] The palace had been built on the site of the
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
meeting place, or "Thingmote" – the Vikings' most westerly European stronghold.
This had been the centre of government in the early medieval Viking city. Parts of the palace may be incorporated into the present structure of the cathedral, most prominently the great west door, which is claimed to have been the original main entrance to the royal palace.
[Mulvin, Linda. History of the Cathedral of St. Mary's Limerick.] The bishops of Limerick have for centuries knocked on this door and entered by it as part of their installation ceremony. According to tradition, during the many sieges of Limerick the defenders of the city used the stones around the west door to sharpen their swords and arrows, and the marks they made in the stonework can be seen there today.
The tower of Saint Mary's Cathedral was added in the 14th century. It rises to 36.58 metres (120 feet), containing a peal of 8 bells, of which 6 were cast by
John Taylor & Co
John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell (instrument), bell foundry. It is locat ...
, Loughborough, and 2 cast in
Whitechapel
Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The tower also contains a stationary service bell, which can be rung from the ground floor.
Notable burials
File:Charles Graves (bishop).jpg, Bishop Charles Graves
The cathedral graveyard contains many graves and tombs of notable people. The physician
Samuel Crumpe is buried in the graveyard near the great west door.
Prince Milo of Montenegro,
Frances Condell (first woman Mayor of Limerick) and Bishop
Charles Graves are also interred in the grounds. The last High King of Munster,
Domnall was purportedly buried in the cathedral, with the remnants of his stone coffin still visible in the Cathedral chancel. Bishop
Cornelius O'Dea is buried alongside several other Bishops of Limerick in what is believed to be an Episcopal vault underneath the chancel itself. Also notable are the Sexton, Barrington, Boyd and Vanderkiste tombs along the south entrance pathway.
From the Irish Reformation to the 19th century

There are five
chandelier
A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...
s which hang from the ceiling. These are only lit on special occasions. The larger three of the five were made in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
and presented in 1759 by the Limerick Corporation.
The belfry holds a peal of eight bells, six of which were presented by William Yorke, mayor of Limerick, in 1673. An active team of bell ringers travels the country to compete with other
campanologists.
Saint Mary's received its organ in 1624, when Bishop
Bernard Adams donated one. It has been rebuilt over the centuries and was most recently renovated in 1968 and 2005.
In 1620 the English-born judge
Luke Gernon, a resident of Limerick, wrote a flattering description of the cathedral:
''"not large, but lightsome, and by the providence of the Bishop fairly beautified within, and as gloriously served with singing and organs"''.
During the
Irish Confederacy
Confederate Ireland, also referred to as the Irish Catholic Confederation, was a period of Irish Catholic self-government between 1642 and 1652, during the Eleven Years' War. Formed by Catholic aristocrats, landed gentry, clergy and military ...
wars, the cathedral was briefly transferred to Roman Catholic hands. The bishop of Limerick,
Richard Arthur, was buried in the cathedral in 1646.

In
1651
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Charles II is crowned King of Scots at Scone ( his first crowning).
* January 24 – Parliament of Boroa in Chile: Spanish and Mapuche authorities meet at Boroa, renewing the fragile ...
, after
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
's forces captured Limerick, the cathedral was used as a stable by the parliamentary army. This misuse was short lived, but was a similar fate to that suffered by some of the other great cathedrals during the Cromwellian campaign in Ireland.
The troops also removed the cathedral's original 4 metre (13 foot) Pre-Reformation high altar from the cathedral. The altar was only reinstated in the 1960s. It is the largest such altar in Ireland and the UK, carved from a single limestone block.
The altar is used for communion services at major festivals and remains in its historic location in what is now the chapel of the Virgin Mary or
Lady Chapel
A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chape ...
.
In
1691, the cathedral suffered considerable damage, particularly on the east end, during the
Williamite
A Williamite was a follower of King William III of England (r. 1689–1702) who deposed King James II and VII in the Glorious Revolution. William, the Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, replaced James with the support of English Whigs.
On ...
Siege of Limerick.
["The Cathedrals of the ]Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
" Day, J.G.F./ Patton, H.E. p153: London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, S.P.C.K., 1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
After the
Treaty of Limerick
The Treaty of Limerick (), signed on 3 October 1691, ended the Williamite War in Ireland, a conflict related to the Nine Years' War (1688–1697). It consisted of two separate agreements, one with military terms of surrender, signed by commander ...
,
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
granted £1,000 towards repairs. There are cannonball from 1691 in the
Glentworth Chapel/
Saint George's Chapel inside.
From the 19th century to the 20th century

In 1968, the Irish Government commissioned two postage stamps to commemorate the cathedral's 800 year anniversary. A picture of one of the stamps is displayed on this page. In 1991, there was a large £2.5 million restoration programme which was completed in 1996 with the excavation and re-laying of the floors as well as the installation of underfloor central heating.
Restoration continues today to a lesser degree.
From the 20th century to the 21st century
Today, the cathedral is still used for its original purpose as a place of worship and prayer for everybody. It is also the 3rd biggest tourist attraction in Limerick. It is open to the public every day from 9:00 am to 4:45 pm. For Tourists there is a €5 admission charge upon entry. This money is essential for the upkeep of the building, and without it, the cathedral simply could not function.
Following the retirement of the Very Rev'd
Maurice Sirr on 24 June 2012, Bishop
Trevor Williams announced the appointment of the Reverend
Sandra Ann Pragnell as Dean of Limerick and Rector of Limerick City Parish. She was the first female dean of the cathedral and rector of Limerick City Parish, and retired in January 2017.
It was announced on 27 August 2017, that the Reverend Canon
Niall James Sloane was to become the 63rd Dean of Limerick and the new rector of Limerick City Parish; with his installation and institution taking place on 21 October 2017 in the cathedral.
The cathedral grounds holds a
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
Memorial Plaque with the names of all the Irish men who died while serving in the United Nations Peacekeepers.
See also
*
Dean of Limerick and Ardfert
The Dean of Limerick and Ardfert is a Church of Ireland official based in the Cathedral Church of St Mary's in the united diocese of Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert.
There had been two separate deans, Dean of Limerick and Dean of Ardfert, unti ...
List of deans of Limerick (and Ardfert)
References
External links
Official website
{{Cathedrals of the Church of Ireland
Mary's Cathedral, Limerick
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe
Religious buildings and structures in County Limerick
Buildings and structures in Limerick (city)
Burial sites of the O'Brien dynasty
Burial sites of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty
Pre-Reformation Roman Catholic cathedrals