Newry Cathedral
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2021) |
| Newry Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Colman | |
 | |
  Newry Cathedral Shown within Northern Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 54°10′29″N 6°20′16″W / 54.174744°N 6.337652°W | |
| Location | Newry, County Down |
| Country | United Kingdom Northern Ireland |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Tradition | Roman Rite |
| Website | [1] |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 21 July 1925 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Thomas Duff |
| Architectural type | Gothic Revival |
| Style | Gothic |
| Years built | 1825-1829, 1888-1890, 1904-1909 |
| Groundbreaking | 1825 |
| Completed | 1909 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,000 |
| Length | 190 Feet |
| Width | 135 Feet |
| Height | 60 Feet |
| Number of towers | 1 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Dromore |
| Province | Armagh |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Sede Vacante |
| Dean | Canon Francis Brown |
Newry Cathedral or the Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Colman is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Newry, Northern Ireland. It acts as the seat of the Bishop of Dromore, and the Mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dromore.
Brief History[]
The See of Dromore was founded in the sixth century by Colman of Dromore, and has had its own independent jurisdiction ever since. The old cathedral of Dromore, which had been taken by the Protestants, was burnt down by the Irish insurgents in 1641 and rebuilt by Bishop Taylor twenty years later; the Catholic Church was erected later. In 1750 the seat of the cathedral was transferred to Newry, the largest town of County Down, situated at the head of Carlingford Lough.
Newry Cathedral, dedicated under the joint patronage of St Patrick & St Colman, was designed by the city's greatest native architect Thomas Duff; work began in 1825, with the basic building completed in 1829.[1] Built of local granite, it was the first Catholic cathedral in Ireland opened after Catholic Emancipation.
Work continued to enlarge and beautify the cathedral at various stages in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: the tower and transept were added in 1888 and the nave was extended in 1904 under the supervision of Bishop Henry O'Neill.[1]
It is a Grade A listed building.[2]
The cathedral replaced St Mary's Church (the Old Chapel), which had been constructed by Bishop Lennan in 1789 and which, for forty years, doubled as both a parish church and quasi-cathedral, two bishops having received episcopal consecration there.[3]
The stately Gothic Cathedral of SS. Patrick and Colman graces Newry’s Main Street. Though less imposing outwardly than other Irish cathedrals, many admit that the interior decoration of the cathedral is second to none in Ireland.
Foundation stone[]
Details of the actual ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone are lacking. The Newry Telegraph records the fact that Bishop O’Kelly performed the ceremony on 8 June 1825.
Under his successor, Dr. Thomas Kelly, work on the cathedral continued. Within four years, the fabric of the church was completed, and the dedication ceremony was performed by the Primate, Dr. Curtis, on 6 May 1829. A contemporary writer referred to the ceremony as "the greatest attendance of Bishops and clergy seen for three centuries in the north of Ireland."
The dedication sermon was preached by Dr. Doyle, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin.
First Dedication after Emancipation[]
Amongst Ireland’s premier churches, Newry Cathedral may well boast of one unique distinction. It was completed before the passing of Catholic Emancipation and, further, its dedication (May 1829) was the first ceremony of its kind in Ireland following the passing of the Emancipation Act. As a result of publications of the event, a controversial question relating to the use of Irish episcopal titles was raised by Colonel Sibthorpe in the British House of Commons on the day of the dedication ceremony.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b "Newry Cathedral of St. Patrick and St. Colman". discovernorthernireland.com. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ History, Department of Communities website. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ "Newry Cathedral | Newry Journal". Retrieved 30 June 2021.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Newry Cathedral. |
This article incorporates text from the entry "Diocese of Dromore" in the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1909.
| Province of Armagh | |
|---|---|
| Province of Cashel | |
| Province of Dublin | |
| Province of Tuam | |
| |
- Roman Catholic churches completed in 1829
- 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Dromore
- Roman Catholic cathedrals in Northern Ireland
- Newry
- Churches in County Down
- Grade A listed buildings
- Gothic Revival church buildings in Northern Ireland