Kildare Cathedral

Kildare Cathedral
Cathedral Church of St Brigid, Kildare
Kildare Cathedral Show map of Kildare Kildare Cathedral Show map of County Kildare Kildare Cathedral Show map of Ireland
53°09′28″N 6°54′41″W / 53.1579°N 6.9114°W / 53.1579; -6.9114
Location	Kildare, County Kildare
Country	Ireland
Denomination	Church of Ireland
Previous denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	https://stbrigidscathedral.com/
History
Founded	After 1223
Founder(s)	Probably Ralph of Bristol
Dedication	St. Brigid
Dedicated	This abbey site dates from AD 480
Consecrated	1230
Events	St. Brigid's firehouse or fire-temple of Kildare was maintained from pre-christian period until 16th century
Past bishop(s)	Ralph of Bristol, died 1232; Bishop Wellesley, died 1539
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	National Monument
Architect(s)	George Edmund Street (1824–1881) was responsible for the reconstruction completed by 1896
Architectural type	Cruciform without aisles
Style	Irish Gothic
Groundbreaking	A feature is the arches spanning from buttress to buttress in advance of the side walls
Completed	Renovation completed 1896
Specifications
Capacity	Can accommodate the 20 Church of Ireland families who maintain the cathedral
Number of domes	The central tower, half of which is a modern reconstruction
Materials	Various stones including granite and sandstone
Administration
Province	Province of Dublin
Diocese	Diocese of Meath and Kildare
Clergy
Bishop(s)	The Most Reverend Pat Storey
Dean	The Very Reverend Isobel Jackson
Precentor	The Very Reverend R W Jones
Archdeacon	The Venerable L Stevenson
Laity
Director of music	Charles Marshall

Kildare Cathedral, or St Brigid's Cathedral in Kildare, is one of two Church of Ireland cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Originally a Catholic cathedral, it was built in the 13th century on the site of an important Celtic Christian abbey, which is said to have been founded by Saint Brigid in the 5th century. The site was taken over by the Protestant Church of Ireland following the Reformation. There is an Irish round tower in the cathedral grounds.