saint mary’s cathedral kilkenny€¦ · and the lay faithful of our diocese, the diocese of...

Saint Mary’s Cathedral Kilkenny

Renovation, Restoration & Reconnection

Dear Sister / Brother in Christ,Greetings and prayerful good wishes to you.

As you read this brochure you will become aware that we, bishop, priests, religious and the lay faithful of our diocese, the Diocese of Ossory, are embarking on a very significant project that is, the restoration of our Cathedral, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny, the Mother Church of our diocese.

I thank you for continuing to journey with us in our efforts to restore, renovate, conserve, and innovate, St. Mary’s Cathedral. In doing so, we will enhance the spiritual character of our beautiful Cathedral, which is a living centrepiece to the lives of so many people, a landmark for generations, built by our fore bearers and passed down through generations. The restoration of our Cathedral is for the good of all people who come and visit this sacred space either for a specific reason or for a personal need. For generations our Cathedral has been and continues to be a great source of comfort for many of the faithful of St. Mary’s Parish, of our diocese and beyond.

As you may be aware, St. Mary’s Cathedral was built during a time of severe poverty and distress in Ireland, during the Famine Times. It was also built following the Penal Laws, which was a period of great difficulty and persecution for Catholics. It opened on 4th October 1857. The Cathedral, cost in the region of £25,000 was built by local people and paid for by local people. Although in difficult times many families contributed one penny a week towards the project. We pray for, and pay tribute to those wonderful people who worked tirelessly, and for so long, to make their dream a reality. The Cathedral, then as now, is a symbol of our faith, and perhaps too, is a promise of a better and more confident future for all of us.

Today, we are all aware that our Cathedral is in great need of urgent care. St. Mary’s Cathedral is more than just a historic building. It is and should be a vibrant place, playing a significant role in the lives of countless people from near and far for daily worship, feast days, marking births, deaths and marriages. It is a place of worship and prayer, a sacred place of refuge, a place of comfort. For many, it is a beacon of hope and renewal. It is ours to nurture and to protect as an inheritance for future generations.

In this project, we welcome all the help we can get. We promise to search for the truth in all the projects and proposals that come before us for consideration. Most important of all, we pledge appreciation and sincere thanks for all the help that we merit along the way. At the end of our collaboration, my prayer is that we can all be somewhat richer spiritually, even if we risk being a little poorer materially. The restoration of our Cathedral will be a fitting tribute to the generations of people who, over the years, have found peace and solace in this sacred space, in St. Mary’s Cathedral, the house of God.

And so, with these reflections, it is with great joy that I launch the fundraising campaign necessary, so that we can restore, renovate, conserve, innovate and most importantly, reconnect with our Cathedral the Mother Church of the Diocese of Ossory, dedicated to Our Lady, the Mother of God.

I gratefully appreciate your support. I respectfully ask for your prayers and I assure you of mine.

With every blessing of the Lord.

Séamus Freeman, SAC.,Bishop of Ossory.


Bishop Séamus Freeman, SAC.,Bishop of Ossory


Monsignor Kieron J Kennedy,Cathedral Administrator

Dear Friend,Greetings and Welcome.

On behalf of Bishop Séamus Freeman SAC, Father William Purcell, Sister Maria Comerford RSM and myself with the dedicated staff and devoted parishioners, I welcome you to St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Every diocese must have a ‘mother church’, a cathedral church, which is the official seat of the bishop of the diocese. The word cathedral which comes from the Latin word ‘cathedra’ means ‘chair’ which is a symbol of the teaching office and pastoral authority of the bishop as shepherd of the people of God in a diocese. In our case a diocese which includes most of County Kilkenny and portions of Laois and Offaly.

The Cathedral Church of St. Mary’s is the third such building in Kilkenny to have been dedicated to the mother of Our Saviour. It is one of Kilkenny’s most conspicuous buildings and the mere fact that Kilkenny has had a cathedral since the early Middle Ages meant automatically that Kilkenny was a city, as its presence was as one of the vital elements for city status. No matter from what side and by whatever means you approach Kilkenny, you cannot fail to notice this graceful limestone structure, with its beautiful Gothic tower. This of course was no accident. The first St. Mary’s was founded in the opening years of the 13th century and still stands in the heart of our city, amidst a forest of tombs. The second, known as the ‘old cathedral’, was built outside St James’ Gate near Wellington Square, and served the community from 1774 until 1857, when the ‘new’ cathedral opened for service. The model for this ‘new’ cathedral was Gloucester Cathedral, one of six English cathedrals, which had a pre-Reformation existence, as a monastic church. This I am convinced was no accident.

There have been many restorations and upgrades since 1857. Now we must commence on another renovation, one absolutely necessary, if we are to hand on the cathedral to our successors, as it has come down to us. We also wish to restore and conserve many of the elements of the Cathedral which have in part been lost sight of, such as the magnificent mosaic work of the Sanctuary and the glorious stained glass windows donated to the cathedral by the faithful people of God. The work has in part begun and with your help and support and the input of the necessary experts, together we will bring the work to completion for the glory of God, for those who have gone before us and for our brothers and sisters of the Diocese of Ossory and beyond. In this way we will fulfil our mission of Renovation, Restoration and the Reconnection of the cathedral to the life of the city and the diocese.

We need your support to complete the task and restore this sacred space.

Monsignor Kieron J Kennedy,Cathedral Administrator.

St. Mary’s Cathedral Kilkenny Tel: 056 7721253 Fax: 056 7770100 Email: [email protected] Charity No: 7354

Most Rev. William Kinsella, Bishop of Ossory (1829-49) initiated the building of St. Mary’s Cathedral in February 1842 on what was the site of Burrell’s Hall, which housed the first Catholic college to be founded in post reformation Ireland. The Cathedral, which was designed by Dublin architect, William Deane Butler, was based on Gloucester Cathedral and is in a neo-Gothic style, which marked a new and ambitious phase in Roman Catholic church architecture, that reflected the new found confidence of that community, in post ‘Repeal’ Ireland. It is one of Ireland’s finest Cathedrals, with a tower that rises to a height of 186 ft. The structure has artistic, cultural, social and architectural features of great interest. St. Mary’s Cathedral is the chief focus of the cathedral close. The material used for the building was Kilkenny limestone.

However, upon closer inspection it is clear that the fabric of the building is in significant need of urgent repair and renewal. These repair and renewal works, will be implemented in phased stages so that the Cathedral can remain in daily use whilst facilitating further investigative works when scaffolding is in place and the contractors are on site.

St. Mary’s Cathedral Renovation & Repair Works


Historic wallpaper found behind side alter

The High Alter today and inset an image of it’s former glory

The first phase of this work will focus on the sanctuary and side altars and will include repair and refurbishment works to the windows, repair and cleaning works to the wall and floors mosaic, cleaning and repainting of the magnificent ceiling, repair work to the roof, external cleaning to the stone in this area, along with the required mechanical and electrical work. In addition to the works to the wall & floor mosaics, a significant programme of works will also be undertaken in repair and renovation of the existing paintwork and plasterwork. This paintwork and plasterwork has suffered deterioration from water ingress over the past decades leading to crumbling of the plaster in areas, particularly at window reveals, and degradation of the paintwork and gold-leaf works in other areas.

Renovation Phases


The leaking roof contributed to the deterioration of the plaster and paintwork

If the beautifully detailed ceilings are to have a future, the weather and waterproofing of the roof over these finely decorated features will have to be of the highest conservation quality. They have suffered greatly in recent years.

It is anticipated that works to the sanctuary ceiling alone will take many months to complete, by a specialist team of restoration painters, capable of dealing with paintwork, gold leaf work and the renewal of stencilling.

It is clear that the roofs and interior decorative works here need repair, cleaning and reinstatement. It is anticipated that this renewal work will dramatically restore a once magnificent feature to the cathedral, which time and weathering has dulled.

The Ceilings


The highly decorative ceiling above the sanctuary

Example of exploratory restoration work on right hand side above

Restoration painters will focus on paintwork, gold leaf work and stencilling work

This phase of the works will also include significant non-abrasive repairs and cleaning of the mosaics (wall and floor), stone and plasterwork throughout the sanctuary and side altars area. The build-up of carbonation, dirt and smoke over generations will be gently removed and the potential impact on this space can been seen above where only a very small sample of the areas have been cleaned.

The Sanctuary Walls


Treated sample

Non-abrasive repairs and cleaning will restore the original colours of the beautiful mosaics

Un-treated sample

As part of this work it is proposed that the windows in the sanctuary be wholly repaired by a local stained glass expert which will include removal, conservation work including re-leading, and then reinstatement, with the provision of new bronze supporting bars. Currently too the windows are badly bowed which means that sections of the glass are under considerable strain from self-loading which will hasten the deterioration if not checked now. When complete it is anticipated that this specialist skilled work will have secured the stained glass windows for the future.

The Stained Glass Windows


Repaired and re-leaded stained glass panel

Storm damage and self-loading is apparent on a lot of the windows

Repair works to the stained glass

In addition to the works to the wall & floor mosaics a major programme of works will be undertaken in repair and renovation of the existing paintwork and plasterwork which has suffered deterioration from water ingress over the past century which is responsible for the crumbling plaster, particularly at the window reveals. Again this has also been responsible for degredation of the paintwork and gold leaf works.

Plaster, Paintwork and Stations of the Cross


Plasterwork damage

Repair work to plasterwork and gold leaf

Crumbling plaster and gold leaf damage Before After


Design by Signiatec Ltd. Photography by Catherine Black, Brian Dunlop and Millan Knapik.


The Call of God

Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

God created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me, which He has not committed to another. I have a mission. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.

Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; if I am perplexed, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in joy, my joy may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about.

saint mary’s cathedral kilkenny€¦ · and the lay faithful of our diocese, the diocese of...

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