A church was erected here shortly afterwards and was still in use when the Anglo-Normans arrived to Dublin. Archbishop John Comyn replaced the old Celtic church with a stone one in 1191 and built the nearby palace of St Sepulchre as his new residence. He wished to wean himself away from the influence of the priory attached to Christ Church Cathedral. In 1213 his ambition was realised posthumously when St Patrick's was elevated to cathedral status.

From 1225 the cathedral was refashioned in the style that we see today. The design of the central part of the church is an almost exact copy of Salisbury Cathedral, which was being built at the same time. Ireland's first university was founded at St. Patrick's in 1320 and intermittently operated for 200 years. The cathedral's most famous dean was Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), creator of Gulliver's Travels and indefatigable champion of the underprivileged.

Centuries of financial deprivation and actual abuse (Oliver Cromwell stabled his horses here in 1649) seriously degraded the fabric of the building and it was in danger of imminent collapse until Benjamin Lee Guinness (he of the famous brewery) spent a large fortune on its restoration in the 1860s. The massive west tower, rebuilt by Archbishop Minot in 1370 after a fire, houses the large peal of bells whose ringing tones are so much part of the character of this part of Dublin. One of the city's first clocks was placed on the tower in 1560.

Opening Hours (seasonal)

All year
09:00 -  18:00 Monday to Friday

Last visit 17:00 unless attending evensong

March - October

Saturday:  09:00 - 18:00 

Sunday:  09:00 - 11.00 /12:45 - 15:00/ 16:15 - 18:00

November - February

Saturday: 09:00 - 17:00

Sunday:  10:00 - 11:00 / 12:45 - 15:00

CLOSED: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day (Boxing Day)

Admission Charge

Adults: €5

Unwaged / OAPs / Students / unemployed:  €4

Family (2 adults & 2 children):   €15.00

Group rates: Adult €4, Student €3.50

On occasion, the cathedral may be closed for services. For a full list of service times, and more information on Christ Church Cathedral, Click Here 

Saint Patrick's Cathedral,

Saint Patrick's Close,

Dublin 8

Tel: +353-1-453 9472 (office)  / +353-1-475 4817 (cathedral)

Fax: +353-1-454 6374

E-mail: admin@stpatrickscathedral.ie

© www.patliddy.com
The above information was valid to the best knowledge available to the compiler but responsibility cannot be accepted for any unintentional inaccuracies or out of date data.