Music
...arches, resting on circular shafts of plain, chiselled limestone, with simple Doric capitals, add stateliness to the structure, while those of the tower, rising almost to the roof, are awe- inspiring in their height and massiveness. The tower piers-four large columns-rising in the centre from foundations twenty feet deep and twelve feet wide, endow the building, with an air of great strength and dignity. The effects of simplicity and even severity in the general design are intensified by the natural hue of the limestone columns separating the nave from the aisles and chancel and the chancel from the chancel aisles. Columns of a richer or more showy material would be altogether out of harmony with the general character of the building. In striking contrast with the severity of the building itself, its internal fittings are rich and highly embellished. There are six Altars. The High Altar, in the centre, consists of a Sicilian marble table supported by quatrefoil pillars in colour, with amulets and beautifully carved Corinthian capitals. The reredos is of Caen stone and is large and very elaborate. On the right are the Altars of St. Brendan and the Blessed Virgin. On the left are St. Joseph's Altar, the Blessed Sacrament Altar, and St. Patrick's. The much-admired Choir has elaborate Caen stone screens, whose arches are supported by slender pillars of coloured marble. The spacious gallery over the main entrance is equipped with an excellent organ. The remains of seven Prelates lie buried within the Church. Three in front of St. Brendan's Altar-Drs. Egan, McCarthy and Higgins; and four in front of the Altar erected in memory of the late Dr. Moriarty-Dr. Moriarty himself, Dr. Coffey, Dr. Mangan, and Dr. O'Sullivan. In the Chapel of St. Brendan two mural tablets commemorate Dr. Gerald Teahan and Dr. Charles Sugrue-saintly Bishops who died long, before the foundations of the Cathedral were thought of. In the Chapel of Our Lady are the vaults wherein are laid of the members of the Kenmare family, a. privilege granted as a reward for their munificence towards the building and equipping of the Church. Founded 1842 Consecrated 1855 It's History The history of the building is an interesting one showing the tenacity and zeal with which the work was carried out despite difficulties that are almost without parallel. The idea of erecting such an edifice originated with Father Thomas O'Sullivan as far back as 1828. This gifted Administrator was a brilliant Orator and Man of Letters whose society was courted by the rich and powerful of the time, and it is interesting to note that the first subscription was handed to him on the 28th April, l828, by the Liberator's brother, Mr John O'Connell. Others followed, and voluntary contributions continued until 1842. The...