Holy Sights

1st Holy Sight - Galway Cathedral

Galway Cathedral is one of the city’s largest buildings and its huge octagonal dome is visible for miles around. It was completed in 1965 and unuasually for a church of the period was build not of concrete, but of stone (Galway limestone). This was a major project that took a total of 8 years of complete. Bishop Micheal Browne was responsible for its construction and is the one who provided vision for the project. It was designed by J.J. Robinson, but the Bishop's input at every stage was extensive. The Cathedral contains a lot of religious art including a beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary, the work of artist Imogen Stuart who is also responsible for the intriguing broze panels and handles on the west door and Gabrial Hayes' stations of the cross. An additional piece of breathtaking art is a huge crucixion mosaic behind the altar, by Patrick Pollen, is created from impossibly timy coloured tiles. The mosaic is a complex and creative work of at with a wonderfully luminous quality about it.

2nd Holy Sight - Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden

Kylemore has a rich history, fulll of legends and stories revolved around Christian worship. It is also home to a community of nuns of the Benedictine Order who came here in 1920 after rgeir abbey iis Ypres, Belgium was destroyed in World War I. Settling at Kylemore, the Benedictine Community opened a world renowned boarding school for girls and began restoring the Abbey, Church and Victorian Walled Garden to their former glory. Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden welcomes visitors to discover the magic, beauty and peacefulness of Kylemore Abbey.

3rd Holy Sight - Saint Patrick's Cathedral

Saint Patrick's Cathedral has been at the heart of Dublin and Ireland's history and culture for over 800 years. For long periods it was the largest enclosed space on the island and it remains the largest Cathedral in the country. It has been visited by some of Irish history's most influential individuals from Cromwell, William of Orange and King James I, to Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. The site of St. Patrick's Cathedral is said to be the earliest Christian site in Ireland, where St. Patrick baptized converts. A wooden St. Patrick's Church stood on the site from the 5th century to about 1191, when the church was raised to the status of cathedral. The present building, the largest church in Ireland, was built between 1191 and 1270. Today, the cathedral is the location for a number of public national ceremonies. Ireland's Remembrance Day ceremonies, hosted by the Royal British Legion and attended by the President of Ireland, take place there every November.