St.Mary's Cathedral, Limerick

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St.Marys exploring took one hour from me as there is so much to look.

* The consistorial court
* The Chapel of St.James & Mary Magdalene
* The Lady Chapel
* The altar
* Windows
* The Chapel of the Holy Spirit
* The Jebb Chapel
* The Misericords
* The organ
* The O'Brien Chapel
* The Pery or Glentworth Chapel

etc.

I was impressed almost all of it but mainly the misericords and their carvings.

Misericords are the only examples of this kind of furniture preserved in Ireland. The name "misericord" comes from a Latin word meaning "act of mercy". Carved from oak, between 1480 and 1500, from the woods at Cratloe, County Clare, the seats are constructed so that they may be raised. In the early Church the clergy stood throughout the services, in fact at one time sitting was forbidden. On the lip of each of the 23 seats there is a ledge which was designed to allow the occupant, though appearing to stand, to rest during long services, hence de name "Mercy Seats".
The oak from Cratloe has been used since theb 11th century. The beams of the roof of Westminister Hall and those in this Cathedral also came from Cratloe. Each misericord is now a stall for a member of the Cathedral Chapter. The beautifully executed carvings on the underside
of the seats include such fabulous monsters as the Cockatrice ( under the seat marked "Archidiaconus") and the Griffin which was carved by a master's hand (Praecantor's stall). The carvings represent symbols of good and evil and in some cases their conflict.

When entering to church, there is no admission fee but donation for restoration at least 3EUR is recommended. I was warmly welcomed and small booklet was given with description of cathedral.

By the time I arrived at St. Marys, the church was closed.
Therfore the graveyard was nice.
Their is also a bench in front of the entrance in case you need to rest your legs after a long walk.

The church offeres guided tours on request.
Call the tourist office for information

St Mary's is Limerick's Protestant cathedral, located on Kings Island. In the summer, they do light & sound shows, which looks really cool