St. Eunan's Cathedral

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For the school of education, see St. Eunan's College. For the GAA Club, see St. Eunan's (GAA Club).

St. Eunan's Cathedral or the Cathedral of St. Eunan and St Colmcille as it is also known, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland. It is the only cathedral in the county and was built between the years of 1890 and 1900. The Cathedral was commissioned by late Cardinal O'Donnell, then Bishop of Raphoe, who in 1888 aged 32 became the youngest bishop in the world at that time. [1] The Cathedral, located on Castle Street in the town celebrated its centenary in 2001. The parish priests are Fr. Eamonn Kelly, Fr. Gerard Cunningham and Fr. Kevin Gillespie.

[edit] Description

The Cathedral opened in 1901 and is built in Victorian neo-Gothic style. The cathedral stands on a dominant site overlooking the town. Saint Eunan's Cathedral has a spire with a height of 212 feet. Sandstone from Mountcharles was used in the construction of the cathedral and the cathedral is furnished in oak. Marble has been used with fine taste in the pulpit. It depicts statues of The Four Masters and The Four Evangelists .

The ceilings are the work of Amici of Rome, while the majestic stained glass windows that illuminate the Sanctuary and the Lady Chapel are by the Mayer firm of Munich. The technicality of the Great Arch is stunning - it illustrates the lives of St. Eunan (better known as St Adhamhnáin) and St. Columba.

[edit] In Print

St. Eunan's Cathedral is often referenced in literature:

"When the grey beauty of the evening falls Upon this hillside town, then, like a dream, An opal haze enfolds the swilly stream, And on the long main street a few lights gleam. From fields the music of the thrush still calls, Yet sweeter chords console the dying day, The graceful beckons us away From busy life; let us go up and pray ." —C.H.O'C., Cathedral Spire.

[edit] External link

• Letterkenny Guide: St. Eunan's Cathedral

	Letterkenny Town
	Topics: People • Culture • History • Climate • Architecture • Monuments • River Swilly
	Education and Sport: LYIT • St. Eunan's College • Coláiste Ailigh • Rossan College | | Letterkenny Rovers F.C. • St.Eunan's Letterkenny RFC
	Media: Highland Radio • Donegal Democrat
	Landmarks: Cathedral • Library and Arts Centre • Theatre • Museum • Hospital • Town Park • Ballyraine Linear Park • Leckview Park • O' Donnell Park