St Patrick and St Felim, CAVAN, Urney, Roman Catholic

A monumental neo-Classical cathedral which, along with Galway Cathedral of 1965, is one of the last large-scale cathedrals to be built in Ireland. Designed by Ralph Byrne of W.H. Byrne & Son and built by John Sisk and Sons Ltd, it replaced an earlier church of 1823 that had been promoted to cathedral status c.1850 and was dismantled in 1942 and rebuilt in the parish of Castletara. The cathedral retains its original appearance and is distinguished by a spire rising from behind an impressive portico, a motif used by Francis Johnston and derived from James Gibbs's London church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. The ashlar stonework and sculpted tympanum display skilled craftsmanship and design and testify to the endurance of high quality of workmanship into the middle of the twentieth century. Fine interior features such as the stucco ceiling, statues, mural and the stained glass windows by George Collie and Harry Clarke studio are of high artistic value. The classical style of the cathedral reflects the conservatism of church architecture prior to the radical change after the Second Vatican Council, and the scale and ambition of the design demonstrate the prestige and confidence of the Catholic Church in that period. The cathedral is the part of an ecclesiastical group of buildings, also including the current and former presbyteries, which complement its setting and context, and form part of a wider ensemble of civic, ecclesiastical and residential buildings arranged along Farnham Street. The prominent elevated site and the spire rising above the town make the cathedral an important landmark and dominant feature on the skyline of Cavan town.

[ National Inventory of Architectural Heritage ]