Overview
On Christmas Day 2009 a fire gutted St Mel’s Cathedral, destroying the interior, the organ and the diocesan museum, and leaving only the stone shell. Five years and roughly €30 million later it reopened on Christmas Eve 2014, which is why locals call it the Longford Phoenix. It’s the largest and finest classical building in the town, free to enter, and the restoration is the real reason to go: you’re walking through a Neoclassical interior that had to be rebuilt almost from scratch.
History and origins
The cathedral is named for St Mel, a companion of St Patrick and first bishop of Ardagh, who died around 487. The diocesan seat sat in the village of Ardagh until the Reformation. After Catholic Emancipation in 1829, Bishop William O’Higgins pushed for a new cathedral in Longford town, and the foundation stone was laid on 19 May 1840 - deliberately cut from the old Ardagh cathedral to signal continuity.
The building opened for worship in 1856, but the work went on for decades: the bell tower and portico were added between 1863 and 1893, and the cathedral was finally consecrated on 19 May 1893. The original plans came from the architect J.B. Keane.
Architecture and interior
St Mel’s is Neoclassical, drawing on grand European churches such as Rome’s San Giovanni in Laterano and the Madeleine in Paris. The cruciform nave is lined with 24 hand-carved limestone Ionic columns, quarried at Newtowncashel, carrying a barrel-vaulted ceiling, with light coming down from high clerestory windows. Outside, the six-column portico and sculpted pediment give it the temple front that dominates the town skyline. The rebuilt interior is deliberately uncluttered, letting the scale and the stone do the talking.
The fire and restoration
The 2009 fire took the interior fittings, the pipe organ and the diocesan museum; the stone shell, bell tower and portico survived, along with a handful of rescued artefacts. The rebuild was funded from diocesan resources, local government and public donations. It restored the original architectural vision while commissioning new work for a modern church - and the craft on show is what lifts a visit above the ordinary.
What to see inside
- Harry Clarke stained glass: windows by the celebrated Irish studio, set in the transepts, that survived the fire.
- The organ: a new instrument by Fratelli Ruffatti with 2,307 pipes, used for recitals as well as services.
- The altar and tabernacle: a new altar in Carrara marble, with a silver tabernacle by the sculptor Imogen Stuart.
- The columns and vaulting: 24 Ionic columns and the barrel vault, the clearest link back to the 19th-century design.
- Diocesan heritage: panels tracing the history of the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise.
Practical information
- Opening hours: generally open daily, roughly 08:00–20:00, but hours can vary around services, so check before a special trip. Entry is free.
- Services: Mass on Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 8:00am, 10:00am, 11:30am and 1:00pm, with recitals and choral concerts through the year.
- Accessibility: the main entrance and nave are wheelchair accessible.
- Parking: limited on-street parking in the town centre; the Townparks car park is a short walk away.
Exploring Longford town
St Mel’s sits dead in the centre of the county town, a good place to start a half-day. A short walk along the river brings you to the Albert Reynolds Peace Park. For Iron Age engineering, the Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre at Keenagh is a short drive out, and the Royal Canal Greenway runs through town for walking and cycling. If the organist is practising when you arrive, sit down and wait - hearing those 2,307 pipes in a rebuilt nave is the visit.