St. Patrick's Church, Dundalk

The Church of St. Patrick, also named St. Patrick's Pro-Cathedral, is a large Roman Catholic church located in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland.[1] It is built in the Gothic style, and was designed by the architect Thomas Duff.

History

There has been a Catholic church named Saint Patrick's in the town since 1750. The first building was on a site donated by the first Earl of Clanbrassil on Chapel Street and in 1843, was converted into a school.

The then-Parish priest, Fr. Matthew McCann, acquired the current site in 1834. The church was opened for worship in 1842 but was not complete for many years after. Work stopped during the Great Famine and resumed in 1860. It was designed by the Newry architect Thomas Duff, who modelled the interior on Exeter Cathedral, and the exterior on King's College Chapel. Duff died before completion and the architect J. J. McCarthy was chosen to finish the magnificent interior. The bell tower is a later addition, being added in 1903.

On 3 February 1867, Michael Kieran was consecrated as Archbishop of Armagh in St. Patrick's Church and chose during his tenure from 1867 to 1869 St. Patrick's in Dundalk as his mensal parish. The completion of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh was left to his successor, Daniel McGettigan.[2][3]

Architecture and furnishings

The interior looking towards the nave

It is 9 bays in length and has two side aisles to the north and south of the building. The church contains a wealth of distinctive features, including fine granite pillars, tiled floors, a vaulted ceiling and many colourful stained glass windows by acclaimed designers Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich, among others. McCarthy designed the high altar and ornamental screens covering the eastern wall while George Ashlin designed the intricate Italian mosaic walls in the chancel. The sculptor Thomas Farrell fashioned the side altars.

References

http://armagharchdiocese.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74:dundalk-st-patricks&catid=34:parishes%7C Armagh Archdiocese
Gallogly, John (1880). The History of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. pp. 83–87.
Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (2003). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 416. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.

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[1] ttp://armagharchdiocese.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74:dundalk-st-patricks&catid=34:parishes%7C Armagh Archdiocese

[2] Gallogly, John (1880). The History of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. pp. 83–87.

[3] Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (2003). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 416. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.