St Patrick’s Cathedral is the biggest church in Ireland and one of the oldest. You have to make a small donation to visit the cathedral, but it is well worth it.

According to legend the first church was built in the 5th century on the site where Saint Patrick used the water from a well to baptise the people converted to Christianity. The well became known as the Holy Well and the wooden church was built beside it.

In 1192 it was elevated to the status of cathedral, which was unusual as the growing city already had one – Christ Church. The present church was built between 1199 and 1270 and has a 43 metre-high spire.

Between 1783 and 1871 the cathedral was used as a chapel by the Knights of Saint Patrick, a part of the Order of Saint Patrick, and you can see their heraldic banners hanging above the choir stalls. The church is filled with busts, monuments and memorial plaques.

One curiosity is the “Reconciliation Door”. The story about the door is based more on legend than fact; in 1492 Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Osmond and Gerald Fitzgerald, 8th Earl of Kildare waged war on each other. The Earl of Ormond hid in the cathedral’s Chapter House and the Earl of Kildare had his men cut a hole in the door, through which he put his hand in a gesture of peace.

In the cathedral shop you can buy CD’s recorded by the choir and the organists, books, traditional Irish souvenirs and very pretty silver jewellery.

Christ Church Cathedral (or more formally, The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity) is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland. It is situated in Dublin, Ireland and is the elder of the capital city's two mediæval cathedrals, the other being St. Patrick's Cathedral. Following the extensive renovation in Victorian times, while the seriously decayed structure was preserved from collapse, it remains difficult, to tell which parts of the interior are genuinely medieval and which parts are Victorian pastiche. Photographs taken from the exterior show the dramatic nature of the rebuilding done by the Victorians. Nonetheless, Christ Church remains a fascinating sampling of surviving medieval and later church building.

At the first sight, it is difficult to tell that this old church is now the Tourist Office It was originally built as St. Andrews Church on the remains of a much older church. The building went trough many changes but still retains the look of the church.

St. Mark's Church is a former Church of Ireland parish church in Dublin, now a Pentecostal church. It is located in Mark St., off Pearse Street, to the east of Trinity College. The church is a large building surrounded by a grassy churchyard, and was erected in the 1750s off what was then Great Brunswick St. (now Pearse St.). It was consecrated by the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Charles Cobb, on St Mark’s day (25th of April) 1757. In 1971 St Mark’s closed and its contents were largely distributed throughout the Church of Ireland and the parish records were transferred to the Representative Church Body. After its closure the building was purchased by Trinity College, Dublin who used it occasionally for exams and lectures. It was purchased by the Family Worship Centre, a Pentecostal assembly, in 1987, renovated, and re-opened as a place of worship.

Although the Church of Saint Andrew on Westland Row is a relatively “new” church compared with some of the older churches, it nevertheless played a part in the history of Dublin’s Catholics.

This lovely church was built between 1832 and 1837 by John Bolger to a Classical Roman Baroque style preferred by Catholics to the Gothic Brava style favoured by other churches. It has a Doric portico with two columns. On the roof you will see the statue of Saint Andrew, sculpted by Edward Smith. It has an octagonal bell tower with a green copper cover.

The interior of the church is beautiful, with its clear walls and white relief work. The central domed ceiling is delicately painted in peach and terracotta. The organ in the gallery over the entrance was built in 1872 by John White. On the wall in the South Transept is a painting of the Martyrdom of Thomas Beckett.

In 1603, the Penal Laws came into practice in Ireland and until they were revoked in 1829, Catholics were not allowed to worship in public. They had to make to with chapels of fortune and in 1832 while the congregation was gathered in one such chapel in Townsend Street, the chimney stack from a neighbouring house fell through the roof, killing and injuring several people.

This tragedy caused enormous sympathy among the non-Catholic population and because the Penal Days were over, the City Council allowed the Catholics to build a proper church. Plans to build it on Townsend Street were abandoned when the land on Westland Row was offered to them.

The Feast of Saint Andrew is held here every year on the 4th December. It consists of a special Mass, followed by a very good lunch and then a raffle is held.

Saint Stephen’s Church on Mount Street is the last of the Georgian churches to be built during the expansion of Dublin, which started in the 18th century. The building is better known by its nickname – the Pepper Canister Church.

The church was built between 1821 and 1892 by the architects John Bowden and Joseph Welland, who took over following Bowden’s death. It stands on the site of the former medieval Manor of Merion, on land donated by the Pembroke family. When it was planned, the church was destined to be a chapel-at-ease for Saint Peter’s parish.

The façade is simple, with a plain pediment and two Doric columns. The door is a curiosity, being over large. On the sides of the church are several stained-glass round-topped windows. The central window at the back depicts the martyrdom of Saint Stephen. The church was completely renovated in 2010.

The clock tower is square and surmounted by eight columns surrounding the circular spire, which is topped by a green copper dome. This looks just like a pepper pot and it gave the church its nickname.
The church holds the usual services, and is also used for classical concerts, choral evenings and recitals. It is open for public visits on Wednesdays and Thursdays, but you can attend the services and events at any time.

The Huguenot Cemetery (Irish: Reilig na nÚgóineach) is a small cemetery dating from 1693, located near St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland, beside the Shelbourne Hotel. Although often described as being on the green, it is actually on the north side of Merrion Row, a small street linking St. Stephen's Green with Upper Merrion Street and Ely Place. Those buried there are descendants of Huguenots who fled persecution in France following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes which had guaranteed religious freedom. The cemetery is not open to visitors, though it is visible through the railings and a list of 239 surnames of those buried is inscribed on the wall plaque to the left.