Variety of religious buildings to explore
From cathedrals to abbeys to priories, there is a host of religious buildings to see along Ireland’s Ancient East.
Kilkenny is home to Kells Priory which owes its foundation to the Anglo-Norman consolidation of Leinster. Founded by Geoffrey FitzRobert, a household knight and trusted companion of William Marshal the priory was one element of Geoffrey’s establishment of the medieval town of Kells.
Although founded around 1193, extensive remains exist today which include a nave, chancel, lady chapel, cloister and associated builds plus the remains of the priory’s infirmary, workshop, kitchen, bread oven and mill. It will reopen in June.
Another Kilkenny gem is St Canice’s Cathedral in the Irishtown area which dates back to 1285. Explore the cathedral and climb to the top of the magnificent 30 metre high round tower. Each stone of this 12th century gothic cathedral tells a story.
Moving to Kildare, St Brigid's Cathedral was built in the 13th century on the site of an Celtic Christian abbey, which is said to have been founded by Saint Brigid in the 5th century.
Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Kildare, it is now one of two cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare.
Meanwhile the Cobh skyline we all know and love wouldn’t the same without the famous Saint Colman's Cathedral.
An example of neo-Gothic architecture, it was built in 1911 and features a 100m-high spire and a tower that includes a 49 bell carillon, one of the largest in Europe.
In Laois, people can visit the site where St Canice founded an abbey in 576. Aghaboe Abbey was rebuilt after centuries of attacks and fires.
Carlow Cathedral is adjacent to St Patrick’s College in Carlow town. It’s an early 19th century cathedral which was the first to be built after Catholic emancipation. It contains a statue dedicated to Bishop James Doyle, a champion of Catholic rights, who is buried there.
St Joseph's Redemptorist Church in Louth is another to pop on your must-see list. The Redemptorists arrived in Dundalk in 1876 and established a Monastery on St Alphonsus Road, then known as Windmill Road. ‘The Missioners’, as many local people called them, became household names when, in 1892, the beautiful Church of St Joseph was built. Standing proud and beautiful in glinting granite hewn from Newry quarries and with a warm interior resplendent in coloured marbles and intricate mosaics, St Joseph’s Redemptorist Church soon endeared itself to the hearts of all who worshipped there. Over the years it has cultivated the same intimate relationship with successive generations.
In Wexford stands St Aidan's Cathedral. Located in Enniscorthy, it is the largest building in Ireland constructed to designs prepared by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852), reputedly based on Tintern Abbey in Wales.
Due to fears of potential collapse, the tower and spire were rebuilt under the supervision of JJ McCarthy (1817-1882) but retained the Pugin defined profile.
Kilcooley Abbey is located near the village of Gortnahoe in Tipperary, about 20km east of Thurles.
The ruins, situated on a lovely expanse of land on the Kilcooley Estate, date back to 1182, when Donal Mor O’Brien gave the property to the Cistercians.
There are loads more religious buildings to see on this tourist trail.