St. Mary’s Cathedral was founded in 1168 on a plot of land, which Donal Mor O’Brien (King of Munster at the time) had donated. Some historians are under the impression that parts of the king’s actual palace are present in the current structure of the cathedral.
Some may ask why I chose to write this assignment on an old church but it really is one of keystones in limerick city culture. A few years ago I attended a concert there with my family and was initially struck with the beauty of the site as well as the grounds surrounding the cathedral.
It truly is a must see if you are visiting Limerick.
Furthermore, surrounding the cathedral is a beautiful graveyard, which just amplifies the sense of serenity and peace about the cathedral. This graveyard is full with ancient graves of clerics gone by and other high standing people in Limerick from centuries ago.
As I wandered on that chilly October afternoon around the cathedral a numerous amount of carvings drew my attention. After researching these mysterious carving I found that they are known as Misericords Carvings.
These carvings on the seats for the clerics were not for decoration or adoration; there use was that these clerics could sneakily rest their legs while standing for prolonged periods of time. I found this little find quite interesting and more so that these carvings often portrayed some possibly unreligious activities.
In conclusion I must say that St Mary’s Cathedral is one of the most beautiful pieces of medieval architecture I have ever seen and is defiantly a must see for anyone interested in that topic of discussion. This little gem in Limerick has gone through numerous restoration projects that some are still in place and I must say I honestly cant wait to see the end result. I hope you enjoy the peaceful atmosphere surrounding as I did .
Kevin Murphy (11139323)
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