The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul (also known as Ennis Cathedral), is the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

church of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe The Diocese of Killaloe ( ; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in mid-western Ireland, one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and Emly. The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of Ss Peter a ...

. It is located in

Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

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 ...

History

The site of the cathedral was donated to the diocese in 1828 for the construction of a parish church for Ennis. Building works were commenced and continued with slow progress, and the unfinished church was first used to hold Mass in 1842. The church was then dedicated to saints

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

and

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

a year later. Development of the church largely stopped during the Great Famine, but afterwards works to the interior design of the church were undertaken. The tower and spire of the church were completed in 1874. The parish church was elevated to pro-cathedral status in 1889, with the Bishop taking residence in

Ennis - Ennis Cathedral - 20180705181105

In 1890, Thomas J. McRedmond became the Bishop of Killaloe, and decided to base the bishopric at the church in Ennis. Thus, the parish church was designated as the

pro-cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish Church (building), church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefect ...

of the Diocese of Killaloe. In 1894, the main entrance of the cathedral was constructed, and extensive redecoration of the building was undertaken. In the 1930s, a new sacristy and chapter room were added to the building, and the present pipe organ and chapter stalls were installed. The cathedral was closed for six months in 1973, while work was undertaken to remodel the building to the requirements of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

. The pipe organ was refurbished in 1985. The pro-cathedral was rededicated as a cathedral in 1990. After a fire in the cathedral in 1995, the sanctuary was rebuilt and the interiors were redecorated, with works completed at the end of 1996.

References

External links

Information on the Cathedral from Ennis parish
{{Commons category, Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Ennis Buildings and structures in Ennis Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Republic of Ireland Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe Churches in County Clare 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Ireland 19th-century churches in the Republic of Ireland