St Fethlimidh's Cathedral, Kilmore

St Fethlimidh's Cathedral, Kilmore is one of two cathedral churches in the Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh (the other is St John the Baptist Cathedral, Sligo) in the Church of Ireland. It is situated in the parish of Kilmore, located about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-west of the county town of Cavan.

The cathedral stands on an elevated wooded site adjacent to Lough Oughter. One of its more interesting feature is the 12th century Romanesque doorway built into the outside wall of the vestry. The cathedral also possesses an original copy of the first translation of the Old Testament into Irish by William Bedell, Bishop of Kilmore from 1629 to 1642.

History

According to tradition, St. Fethlimidh founded a small church on the site in the 6th century.

In 1452 the old Parish Church of Kilmore became the cathedral for the Diocese of Kilmore, continuing after the Reformation as a Church of Ireland cathedral, even after the Kilmore See was amalgamated in 1841 with those of Elphin and Ardagh. However by 1858 the building was too small and dilapidated for proper use and the present cathedral, designed by William Slater, was rebuilt by 1860 alongside the old one, which is now used as a parochial hall.

The present building has just been refurbished at a cost of 1 million euros. The historic 1860 organ, one of the earliest organs built by Charles Brindley of Sheffield was restored in 2011.

See also

• Dean of Kilmore
• Cavan Cathedral in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kilmore
• List of Cathedrals in Ireland

References

• Kilmore Cathedral
• Christian Heritage Sites-Cavan
• Photographs of cathedral