The Cathedral of the Assumption

Thurles is known as Tipperary's "Cathedral Town" and it is here that the Archbishop of Cashel and Emly has based his residence since the mid 18th Century. The Catherdral for the diocese was originally situated on the Rock of Cashel, but following the Reformation it came into the possession of the Church of Ireland, which later abandoned the Rock in favour of a new Cathedral in the town. The seat of power for the Catholic Church, however, did not find a new, permanent base for itself until about 1750, when Archbishop James Butler took up residence on today's Cathedral Street, next door to what was the old Carmelite Priory. The Archbishop of Cashel and Emly has lived at the same location ever since.

THURLES - The Cathedral

View of the Cathedral from St. Patrick's College avenue

THURLES - The Cathedral

THURLES - The Cathedral

View of the Cathedral from St. Patrick's College avenue

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Its Early Predecessors

The Cathedral as we know it today succeeded several previous buildings; among them was the small, thatched 18th Century "Mathew Chapel", while its successor, the "Big Chapel", was built in 1807. It was dedicated to St. Patrick, as was the Cathedral on the Rock that the Catholic Church left in the 16th Century. Work on what is today known as the Cathedral of the Assumption began in 1861, inspired by the drive of Archbishop Dr. Patrick Leahy. He believed that the existing building was "not worthy of this great diocese, much less to be the metropolitan church of Munster".

Architecture and Decoration

The architecture of the Cathedral is closest to Romanesque, and its façade was based on the Cathedral of Pisa, the bell tower of which famously leans. On the interior, the massive pillars are of Cork, Galway, Kilkenny and Sicilian marble, while their plinths were quarried much closer to home at Leugh, just outside the town. Perhaps the most ornate features of the building's decoration are the altars, which are built of inlaid marble that was finished by craftsmen in Thurles. The tabernacle, which dates from the 16th Century, was granted from a Jesuit Church in Rome.

There is a peal of eight bells in the bell tower, one of which is dedicated to Dr. Leahy himself, while the others are dedicated to saints or religious mysteries.

Source - Corbett & Nolan, "Thurles - The Cathedral Town"