St. Fin Barre's Cathedral
Families can explore St Fin Barre's Cathedral, a Neo-Gothic building with stained glass, marble mosaics, and over a thousand sculptures. Look out for the 24 lb cannonball inside.
Situated near the heart of Cork, St Fin Barre’s Cathedral is the most recent ecclesiastical site located where the saint is believed to have founded his monastic school in the 7th century.
The present Neo-Gothic cathedral, designed by English architect William Bruges, is made from Cork limestone and marble, as well as Bath stone. This Church of Ireland cathedral was consecrated in 1870.
Noteworthy features of its magnificent interior include stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments, marble mosaics from the Pyrenees while the the sanctuary ceiling portrays Christ, surrounded by angels. The building contains more than 1,260 sculptures, a particularly ornate pulpit and even a 24 lb cannonball, a legacy of the Siege of Cork in 1690.
Family practicalities
- Pram-friendly (likely)