The Church of St Anne is a Church of Ireland church located in the Shandon district of Cork city in Ireland. It is situated a top a hill overlooking the River Lee. The name Shandon comes from the Irish, Sean Dun, and means Old Fort. Shandon was one of 28 settlements in and around ancient Cork. The church is famous for its 8 bells due to the famous song "The Bells of Shandon" by Francis Sylvester Mahony. Each weigh 6 tons and were created by Rudhall of Gloucester. It is built with two types of stone, red sandstone from the original Shandon castle which stood nearby and limestone taken from the derelict Franciscan Abbey which stood on the North Mall. As you approach Shandon, from all directions, you will see both coloured stone of red/white and such is the affection that Shandon holds in the hearts of the citizens of Cork that they designated both colours to represent the City.

This church was dedicated in 1839 and had the portico added in 1861. The architect, Kearns Deane, delivered the project free of charge, even though he himself wasn't a Catholic. This fine piece of architecture has six fluted Ionic columns supporting a pediment surmounted by statue of Our Lady, created by James Cahill from Dublin. The building is constructed mostly of white limestone. The interior features sixteen fluted pillars along the nave and sanctuary. There are also four red 3.5 metre pillars of polished Aberdeen granite. The altar is adorned with a 14th century statue of Our Lady of the Graces which reportedly has miraculous powers. This fairly small statue originated in northern France and is said to have arrived in Ireland in the 15th century, floating in a log into Youghal harbour, where it remained until was taken to St Mary's.

A hidden gem, which cosily resides on St Patrick’s street in Cork, is the St Peter and Paul’s Church. Built in the mid eighteenth century the church was constructed in an era when it was prohibited for Catholic churches to be built on the main road. Nevertheless this brilliantly designed church manages to attract your attention despite its location.
This beautiful church stands as a brilliant specimen of Neo Gothic style in Architecture. The St Peter and Paul’s Church was designed by Edward Welby Pugin whose father, Augustus Pugin, was responsible for reviving the Gothic style in architecture. Uncharacteristic to Gothic architecture however, this church lacks a spire, which was not built due to insufficient funds and for fear that the structure wouldn’t be able to hold its weight.
Even though the church impresses on the outside the true beauty of the design and structure is on the inside. With pillars of red marble and strong framework of wood the interiors of the St Peter and Paul’s Church is surely worth admiring. A special mention to the high raised alter designed by Ashlin, the intricately carved Russian oak pulpit and the stained glass windows that give the church an artistic feel and make the entire experience worth remembering.

Opened as far back as the early eighteenth century, this church is the oldest on record place of worship in Cork. Pre-dating the church in the middle ages was a meeting house that stood at Watergate Lane and had to be replaced for being too small for the growing congregation. The new church found place in the newly built streets of the expanding city. Its layout and design contrast the modern churches of the Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland and Presbyterian traditions of Cork. The interior is virtually a square auditory, with congregation seats placed along three sides on ground and gallery levels, so as to enable the congregation to hear and see the preacher or clergyman at a closer distance than it usually is at a regular church service. The building remains an important part of social and architectural heritage of Cork.

Holy Trinity is a Regency Gothic-style church, built in 1832. In 1889 it had an addition of Gothic-Revival portico, followed by a memorial chapel in 1906. Topping the building is a slate hinged roof, with copper roof vent to ridge and stone spire. The limestone exterior shows buttresses, carved pinnacles, and Gothic arched windows with curvilinear cusped tracery and hood mouldings, plus a four-centred arched doorway. Hood moulding are also found on corbels with carved masks. Twinned doors with overpanels have quatrefoil glazed panels and three stained glass panels in east wall, created by Harry Clarke studios. Glazing on other windows is plain and coloured with undulating lead rods, and appeared around 1960. Surrounding the church is low limestone wall with iron railings and gates. At the back is a car park. With its prominent quay-side location, the church dominates the neighbourhood and adds elegance to the city centre.

The South Presentation Convent is framed between Abbey St., Douglas St., Evergreen St. and Nicholas St. The site is truly historic in a sense that here Nano Nagle opened her schools for educating the poor in the late 18th century. Her grave is found behind the chapel in the Nun’s graveyard. The oldest building on the site dates back to 1771. Rather modest in appearance, yet much extended, it was built by Nano Nagle for the Ursuline order. It stands in the middle of the present convent, and features a number of original spaces, including Nano Nagle’s Parlour on the ground floor and the former chapel above. The Heritage Room, surveying the garden, is part of a structure built in 1780 for the Ursulines; it has various artefacts and memorabilia on display.

With its towering presence and handsome architecture, the Church Of Christ the King is sure to mesmerize you at Turners Cross, Cork.
Known as one of the most contemporary designed churches of modern day Ireland, the Church of Christ the King is a must visit in Cork. This magnificent piece of architectural brilliance was designed by Barry Byrne, a Chicago based architect. The church is quite monumental in its own right, as it is the first church in Ireland to be designed by a foreigner and the first to be built with concrete instead of traditional brick. The church was commissioned in 1927 by the Bishop of Cork, Rev. Daniel Cohalan and was built as the solution to the growing population and expansion of the South Parish.
The Church of Christ the King stands as a modern day example for architectural brilliance. Soaring as high as a hundred feet above the ground the entrance of the church is adorned by a sculpture of Christ with outstretched arms. The most stunning feature of the church is that despite the mammoth structure of the Church the interiors have no columns or support of any kind. This is specially designed so that the audience gets an uninterrupted view of the alter from any direction making the Church of Christ the King the largest suspended ceiling in Europe.