The Cathedral Church of St. Mel is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, located in the town of Longford in Ireland. Built between 1840 and 1856, with the belfry and portico as later additions, it has been considered the "flagship cathedral" of the Irish midlands region,[1] Longford's "landmark building"[1][2] and "one of the finest Roman Catholic churches in Ireland".[2] The cathedral is dedicated to St. Mel (died 488), who came to Ireland with St. Patrick and who was ordained bishop at Ardagh, about 10 km (6.2 mi) from Longford.
On Christmas Day 2009, St. Mel's Cathedral was destroyed by fire in the early hours of the morning.
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The cathedral is a Neo-Classical stone building, at the north east side of the town. It was begun in 1840 to the design of Joseph B. Keane, with the foundation stone (taken from the ruined cathedral in nearby Ardagh) lain by the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, Dr. William O'Higgins, on 19 May 1840. Work was then delayed by the arrival of the Great Famine, but the church was opened for worship by Dr. O'Higgins's successor, Rt. Rev. John Kilduff, on 29 September 1856.[3] The roof is supported by 24 limestone columns quarried at nearby Newtowncashel.[4] The 1860 belfry was designed by John Bourke, and the 1889 portico was designed by George Ashlin. The cathedral was finally consecrated on 19 May 1893.[3]
Harry Clarke studios designed the beautiful stained glass windows in the transepts. Ray Carroll designed the 1975 furnishings including "The Second Coming" tapestry behind the bishop's throne. Imogen Stuart designed "The Holy Ghost" above the baptismal font.
Just after 5 am on 25 December 2009 (Christmas Day), a fire began at the back of the building.[5][6] Freezing weather disrupted attempts by firefighters to put out the blaze as their pipes were frozen solid,[1] causing the fire to go on for several hours. At one point, flames were reported jumping sixty feet into the air.[3] According to Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Colm O'Reilly, who had celebrated Midnight Mass in the building hours before the fire began, St Mel's Cathedral was completely destroyed by the fire,[7] describing the cathedral as "just a shell" and "burned out from end to end".[7] However, there were rescue efforts underway to try to save the steeple before it too was destroyed.[5] As a result of the fire, Longford parishioners held their Christmas Day Masses in the local Temperance Hall.[5]
Initial investigations into the cause of the blaze were hampered by the precarious state of the building, but the Garda Síochána (Irish national police) conducted house-to-house inquiries in what a spokesman described as a "routine inquiry".[7][8]
The estimated cost of the damage to the cathedral was €10 million. Bishop O'Reilly said that it will be rebuilt, with a fund beginning to be gathered in 2010.[9] St Mel's Crosier, a relic dating from over a thousand years ago, was burned.[10]
Gardaí began investigating the cathedral on 6 January 2010.[10] They determined two days later that it had not been arson.[11] Mass moved from the Temperance Hall to the sports hall and chapel of St Mel's College while the cathedral was out of business.[12]
Bishop O'Reilly issued a letter to his 41 parishes:
| “ | I am now writing the kind of letter that I never dreamt I would need to write. I must do so, since I wear a ring that Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich placed on my finger as a reminder that for my time as Bishop I am bound to the Diocesan family in a bond that, like marriage, is for good times and bad. I write this letter to acknowledge that we must stay together in this time of sorrow and bewilderment. I also write to bring some solace to the many who are quite truly heart-broken.[13] | ” |
One contributor to boards.ie summed up the devastation:
| “ | The only thing the town has had to be proud of is gone.[14] | ” |
On 18 September 2011, the cathedral ruins were opened to the public for the first time since the devastating Christmas Day fire, with thousands of people showing up to view the cathedral.[15][16] The cause of the inferno had still not been determined at the time.[17]
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