Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas (Ard-Eaglais Mhaighdean na Deastógála agus Naomh Nioclás), Galway, Ireland

Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, Galway, Ireland. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas (Ard-Eaglais Mhaighdean na Deastógála agus Naomh Nioclás), commonly known as Galway Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Galway, Ireland, and one of the largest and most impressive buildings in the city.

Construction began in 1958 on the site of the old city prison. It was completed in 1965, making it the last great stone cathedral to be built in Europe. It was dedicated, jointly, to Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and to St. Nicholas.

It has an eclectic style, with a Renaissance Revival dome, pillars and round arches, and a Romanesque Revival portico that dominates the main façade – which is an unusual feature in modern Irish church building. Other features, including the rose windows and mosaics, echo the broad tradition of Christian art. The cathedral dome, at a height of 44.2 metres (145 ft), is a prominent landmark on the city skyline.

Galway Cathedral. Photo: Miguel Mendez/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

The cathedral pipe organ was originally built by the Liverpool firm of Rushworth & Dreaper in 1966; it was renovated and greatly expanded by Irish organ-builder Trevor Crowe between 2006 and 2007. It has three manuals and 59 speaking stops, and is used regularly during services as well as in the annual series of summer concerts.

The cathedral also has a smaller portable instrument, with one manual and four stops. It is used in smaller-scale liturgy in the cathedral's side chapels, as well as in a continuo role in concerts. (Wikipedia)

Galway Cathedral. Photo: Kingaarog/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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