St Brendan's Cathedral, Catholic cathedral in Loughrea, Ireland.
St Brendan's Cathedral is the Roman Catholic cathedral of the Diocese of Clonfert, built in Neo-Gothic style in Loughrea. Its interior holds one of Ireland's largest collections of Celtic Revival arts and crafts, notably stained glass by the Dublin studio An Túr Gloine, twenty-four embroidered banners mostly showing Irish saints, and vestments by the Dun Emer Guild.
The foundation stone was laid on 10 October 1897 and the structure was completed in 1902, designed in Neo-Gothic style by architect William Alphonsus Scott. Most interior features date from the first decade of the 20th century, while stained glass windows were commissioned up to the 1950s. The cathedral serves the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clonfert.
The cathedral displays hand-embroidered banners showing Irish saints along its interior walls. These pieces come from skilled craftspeople of the Dun Emer Guild and shape how the space feels.
The cathedral is located on Barrack Street and is accessible during normal visiting hours. It helps to check ahead if you prefer a quiet time to look around without services taking place.
Ten windows by Michael Healy are in the cathedral, including St Simeon, the first he both designed and executed, and The Last Judgement, finished in 1940, a year before his death. The apse windows were among An Túr Gloine's first commissions, ordered in 1903.
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