Galway Cathedral (also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady and St. Nicholas) is a Catholic cathedral in Galway city center. Considered one of the city’s most beautiful monuments, it’s also one of its most impressive, both inside and out!
Galway Cathedral – Felipe Garcia – cc
Galway Cathedral is fairly recent, and is thought to have been built between 1958 and 1965, on the site of the city’s former penitentiary, along Lough Corrib. The city of Galway was determined to make this building a grandiose place, and spared no expense, using only the finest materials to build their cathedral.
It was completed at the end of 1965, and inaugurated by Cardinal Richard Cushing, a leading figure in the city’s clergy.
The Cathedral is not to everyone’s taste, and can seem as austere as it is imposing at first glance. Even so, it has a certain charm, with its gray stonework and green dome, as well as a great deal of architectural finesse. Its dome and roofs are mostly copper (which has turned green over time), and the ashlars are particularly dark. A very square architecture, which gives the impression that the cathedral is composed of a single block.
Nevertheless, the show takes place mainly indoors… The cathedral is simple and elegant, an astonishing fusion of Renaissance and Hiberno-Saxon styles (the contrast between these styles is found nowhere else in Ireland!). You’ll be able to admire an absolutely magnificent carved wooden roof, imposing volumes protected by thick stone walls, mosaics and large stained glass windows.
Essential information to help you plan your visit, including key landmarks, access information, and booking options.
Galway town center, along Lough Corrib, Galway (County Galway) - Republic of Ireland
53.275189, -9.057575
30 minutes
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