St. Mary's Cathedral, Limerick (must see)

Also called Limerick Cathedral, Saint Mary's is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1168, Domnal More Ua Briain, the last King of Munster, founded the cathedral on the site of his palace on King's Island. The original main entrance of the palace became the great west door of the cathedral, so closely was the cathedral joined to the palace.

After more than 850 years of renovations, St Mary's Cathedral today is not purely of one style or another. There are aspects of both Romanesque and Gothic styles. The arches appear Romanesque, while the windows are Gothic. The basic plan is the form of a Latin cross. The Romanesque west doorway has carvings of chevrons and other motifs.

The cathedral's tower is a 120-foot-high square structure with a carillon of eight bells. It was added to the original construction in the 14th century. The building is wrapped in graduated battlements surmounted by turrets at the angles. The interior has a nave and choir, separated from the aisles by a gallery of pointed arches.

A rare feature to note is the carved misericords in the choir. They date from 1480. They are folding boards that assist in standing for long periods. The carvings include a one-horned two-legged goat, a griffin, a sphinx, a boar, a dragon, antelopes, swans, eagles, and an angel that looks like Henry IV, King of England.

The St. Mary's Cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in Limerick, standing majestically over the city on the banks of the River Shannon. Today the cathedral is still used for its original purpose as a place of worship and prayer for everybody. It is open to the public every day from 9:00 am to 4:45 pm.