St. Colman’s Cathedral Centenary Exhibition launched at Cork Airport

For anyone who is travelling in or out of Cork Airport in the coming weeks, or simply collecting someone from the arrivals hall, the Centenary exhibition is not to be missed. It showcases Cobh, St. Colman’s Cathedral and important historic events with stunning photography.

Cork Airport has on average of 15,000 passengers travelling through the airport each day and expects this figure to reach 70,000 over Easter bank holiday weekend.

St. Colman’s Cathedral is a Pugin Neo Gothic architectural gem, dominating the skyline of Cobh town and Cork Harbour. The construction of the Cathedral took 47 years, dating from 1868-1915. A visit to St. Colman’s is a moving spiritual experience. The gothic grandeur of the interior, the delicate carvings, breath-taking stained glass windows, the beautiful arches and the mellow lighting combine to lift the human spirit. The Cathedral is steeped in history and due to its maritime location and has been part of some significant tragic events since the time of its construction e.g. it was the last landmark many of the passengers aboard the Titanic would have seen; it held the funeral cortege for the Lusitania; 2.5m people emigrated from Cobh since famine times and many of them would have celebrated their last Mass at St. Colman’s Cathedral, as was the case for many Missionary Nuns and Priests. There is so much history and beauty within its walls to capture the imagination of both locals and visitors alike.

St. Colman’s Cathedral boasts a Carillon of 49 bells, with a total weight of over 26 tons; it is the largest carillon in Ireland & Britain in terms of the number of bells. Installed in 1916, weekly recitals from this magnificent Carillon can be heard from all over the town. The Cathedral also houses a Telford and Telford Pipe Organ, often described as a ‘national treasure’. This pipe organ has just undergone a major restoration project in Padua, Italy and has been returned just in time for the Centenary celebrations. The whole Cathedral has recently completed a major interior cleaning project of all its stone work, cravings, mosaics etc. making it even more magnificent!

We look forward to welcoming you to St. Colman’s Cathedral in this very special centenary year. Please follow us on social media to see the special events planned for the 2019 centenary celebrations.

St. Colman’s Cathedral would sincerely like to thank St. Killians Candles for the kind sponsorship of this exhibition, our photographers; Monika Gorka, Jerry Creedon, Aaron Woods and also; Cobh Museum, local Cobh Historians and Parishioners who assisted with providing the historical photographs.