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St Mel's Cathedral

Coordinates: 53°43′38″N 7°47′46″W / 53.72722°N 7.79611°W / 53.72722; -7.79611
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St Mel's Cathedral in May 2008.

The Cathedral Church of St. Mel is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, located in the town of Longford in Ireland. Built between 1840 and 1856, with the belfry and portico as later additions, it has been considered the "flagship cathedral" of the Irish midlands region,[1] Longford's "landmark building"[1][2] and "one of the finest Roman Catholic churches in Ireland".[2] The cathedral is dedicated to St. Mel (died 488), who came to Ireland with St. Patrick and who was ordained bishop at Ardagh, about 10 km (6 miles) from Longford.

On Christmas Day 2009, St. Mel's Cathedral was destroyed by fire in the early hours of the morning.it

Design history

The interior of the cathedral in the late 19th century.

The cathedral is a Neo-Classical stone building, at the north east side of the town. It was begun in 1840 to the design of Joseph B. Keane, with the foundation stone (taken from the ruined catherdral in nearby Ardagh) lain by the the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, Dr. William O'Higgins, on 19 May 1840. Work was then delayed by the arrival of the Great Famine, but the church was opened for worship by Dr. O'Higgins' successor, Rt. Rev. John Kilduff, on 29 September 1856.[3] The roof is supported by 24 limestone columns quarried at nearby Newtowncashel.[4] The 1860 belfry was designed by John Bourke, and the 1889 portico was designed by George Ashlin. The cathedral was finally consecrated on 19 May 1893.[3]

Harry Clarke studios designed the beautiful stained glass windows in the transepts. Ray Carroll designed the 1975 furnishings including "The Second Coming" tapestry behind the bishop's throne. Imogen Stuart designed "The Holy Ghost" above the baptismal font.

2009 Christmas Day fire

The cathedral was destroyed by a mysterious fire just after 5 am on 25 December 2009 (Christmas Day). The fire began at the back of the building.[5][6] Freezing weather disrupted attempts by firefighters to put out the blaze as their pipes were frozen solid.[1] The fire went on for several hours and at one point flames jumping sixty feet into the air were reported.[3] According to Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Colm O'Reilly, who had celebrated Midnight Mass in the building hours before the fire began, St Mel's Cathedral is now completely destroyed.[7] He described the cathedral as "just a shell" and "burned out from end to end".[7] Rescue efforts are underway to try to recover the steeple before it too is destroyed.[5] The fire disrupted Christmas Day Masses for Longford parishioners, which had to be held in the local Temperance Hall.[5]

Initial investigations into the cause of the blaze have been hampered by the precarious state of the building, but the Garda Síochána (Irish national police) have been conducting house-to-house inquiries in what a spokesman described as a "routine inquiry".[7][8]

The estimated cost of the damage to the cathedral was €10 million. Bishop O'Reilly said that it will be rebuilt, with a fund beginning to be gathered in 2010.[9] St Mel's Crosier, a relic dating from over a 1,000 years ago, was burned.[10]

Gardaí began investigating the cathedral on January 6, 2010.[10] They determined two days later that it had not been arson.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c "St. Mel's Cathedral destroyed by fire", Longford Leader, 25 December 2009, retrieved 2009-12-25.
  2. ^ a b "Longford", Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed. (1911).
  3. ^ a b c "Longford's St Mel's Cathedral destroyed by fire", Irish Examiner, 25 December 2009.
  4. ^ Things to see & do in Longford, Longford County Council, retrieved 2009-12-25.
  5. ^ a b c Fire crews battle blaze at historic Longford Cathedral, Ireland Online, 25 Decmber 2009, retrieved 2009-12-25 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help).
  6. ^ "Cathedral gutted by fire after Mass", The Belfast Telegraph, 25 December 2009.
  7. ^ a b c Longford Cathedral gutted in fire, RTÉ, 25 December 2009, retrieved 2009-12-25.
  8. ^ Blaze at Longford cathedral investigated, RTÉ, 26 December 2009.
  9. ^ Don Lavery (27 December 2009). "Gutted St Mel's faces €10m bill after mystery fire". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
  10. ^ a b Gardaí examine Longford cathedral ruins, RTÉ, 6 January 2010.
  11. ^ Gardaí rule out arson in cathedral fire probe, RTÉ, 8 January 2010.
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53°43′38″N 7°47′46″W / 53.72722°N 7.79611°W / 53.72722; -7.79611

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