Standing on your left is a massive grey limestone church, defined by its square, battlement-topped tower and tall arched windows.
This is Saint Mary's Cathedral. Founded in eleven sixty-eight by the last King of Munster, it holds the title of the oldest building in Limerick still in use today. He actually built it right on top of his own royal palace, which in turn sat exactly where the old Viking meeting place, or Thingmote, used to be. Talk about prime real estate.
If you look at the great west door, you are looking at what many believe was the original main entrance to the king's palace. As you get closer, you might notice deep grooves worn into the stone around that door. According to local lore, soldiers defending the city during its many sieges would furiously sharpen their swords and arrows right there on the masonry.
The cathedral has seen plenty of drama over the centuries. When Oliver Cromwell's parliamentary army captured Limerick in sixteen fifty-one, they decided this sacred space would make an excellent stable for their horses. They even dragged out the cathedral's original thirteen-foot high altar. Check your screen for a look at what that altar looks like today. It is a massive pre-Reformation piece carved from a single block of limestone, and it is the largest such altar in Ireland and the U-K. Thankfully, the massive stone block was finally reinstated in its rightful place in the nineteen sixties.
If you choose to wander inside later, there are a few other remarkable survivors of history to find. For instance, Saint Mary's houses the only complete set of misericords left in Ireland. You can pull up your app to see the intricate carving on one of them. A misericord is a small, cleverly designed wooden ledge attached to the underside of a folding seat in the choir area. When the seat is folded up, the ledge provides a place for clergy to secretly lean and rest their legs during incredibly long, mandatory standing prayers. A little medieval life hack.
You can also find heavy iron cannonballs left over from the Williamite Siege of sixteen ninety-one lodged in the interior walls, and graves of notable figures like Frances Condell, the first female mayor of Limerick, resting in the churchyard.
The cathedral is usually open for visitors from eleven A-M to four P-M, with a five-euro admission charge that goes directly to keeping this ancient building functioning.
It is a remarkable structure that has survived kings, sieges, and literal cavalry to remain a quiet anchor for the city. Take a moment to wander the grounds if you like. When you are ready, we can head to the next stop.
