Ireland’s finest classical church

This cathedral is dedicated to Saint Mel who came to Ireland with St. Patrick and who was ordained Bishop of Ardagh. It was designed by Jospeph B. Keane in a Neo-Classical style and contains wonderful stained glass windows made by the famous Harry Clarke Studio. In 2009, the cathedral was gutted by fire in the early hours of Christmas morning and was heavily damaged. Many artifacts including the 1000-year-old St Mel’s Crozier were destroyed. The restoration took 3 years of blood, sweat, and tears at a cost of €30 million. You can now visit and see the wonderful limestone columns, the intricate plasterwork, the pipe organ, and contemporary art pieces produced by Irish and international artists. *True story – The famous Hollywood actor Mel Gibson, whose family came from Longford is named after this church!

Thanks to RTE for video