The Honan Chapel

Within the University College of Cork is a small chapel called Honan Chapel. Built in the heart of the Campus, it was constructed during the First World War, and remains a vestige of Irish historical heritage to this day! A fine testimony to the past, at a time when Ireland was still finding its feet politically…

History of Honan Chapel

A religious building dedicated to preserving Irish craftsmanship

The Honan chapel was built in homage to Saint Finbarr of Cork. Consecrated in 1916, it bears the name of its principal patrons, the Honans, a wealthy Cork merchant family.

Since its opening, the chapel has been dedicated to showcasing Cork’s Irish craftsmanship, and boasts a particularly rare collection of liturgical objects. Irish artists of the time, in the midst of their quest for a national identity, fell back into the Celtic Revival, an artistic movement urging the Irish to return to the Celtic arts.

Today, the chapel is still in use and can even be visited. Only university graduates can even get married there!

Visit the Honan Chapel

A place marked by history and the arts

The Honan chapel is in the Hiberno-Romanesque style. Its mosaic-covered floor contrasts magnificently with the building’s stained glass windows. Peace and quiet are the order of the day there, and you can admire many works of art on site, some contemporary, some older. The furniture also dates from the First World War, and has been remarkably well preserved.

Don’t miss the organ at the entrance to the chapel: it’s a marvel!