St. Brigids Cathedral — Kildare

Near the centre of a graveyard (KD022-029003-), just NW of the Market Sq. According to Bradley et al. (1986 Vol. 3, 217-21), St. Brigid's Cathedral is the successor to the pre-Norman church of Kildare. It consists of a nave and chancel church, with an almost square crossing tower and transepts, built of roughly coursed limestone with ashlar quoins (int dims: nave L c. 23.4m; Wth c. 9.3m; chancel L c. 12.5m; Wth c. 6.8m; tower L c. 6.8m; Wth c. 6.8m; N and S transepts L c. 8.1m; Wth c. 7.5m). The N transept, the greater part of the chancel, the W windows of the nave, and the N, E and W walls of the tower were entirely rebuilt during the restoration begun in1896, when external buttressing was also added to both nave and chancel. Earlier restorations had also occurred: the cathedral was in ruinous condition in 1223, when it was rebuilt by the first English bishop, Ralph of Bristol (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 83). The roof was pulled down in 1588 and the tower, chancel and north transept collapsed, possibly due to a failure of the foundations. The choir was rebuilt in 1686 and served as a cathedral until the late-19th century restoration of the entire structure. The chancel is lit by three graded lancets above a blank arcade of trefoil-headed arches with pointed canopies, and the restored N and S walls contain two, opposing lancets. The restored crossing tower rises from square piers with centrally attached shafts, and high pointed arches open into the nave, chancel and transepts. Access to the upper floors is via a spiral stairs in a modern octagonal turret at the angle of the nave and N transept. First floor-level was the belfry stage and is lit by two pointed windows in each wall. Second floor-level is marked by an external string course supported on small corbels, above which the walls are stepped-in slightly, and is lit by three small pointed windows with chamfered granite jambs in each wall. A stepped parapet supported on a drainage course is attributed by Leask (1960, 89) to repairs mentioned in 1395. The nave’s N and S walls are each supported externally by six, evenly spaced buttresses joined at the top by pointed arches to form arcades of six bays, five of which frame a lancet, with the two others framing opposing doorways to W of centre of the nave. The W gable wall is buttressed at the N and S ends, and now contains three modern, graded lancets. The N transept was entirely rebuilt in the late-19th century, closely modelled on the S transept and is lit by three lancets in each wall.The S transept contains the main entrance to the church in its E wall; a modern pointed doorway inserted into an earlier, large, pointed arch. A gable line above the door supports Leask’s suggestion (1960, 89) that there was a chapel projecting from each transept. The S transept is lit by three graded lancets in the S wall, and traces of three narrow, pointed lancets survive in the W wall which were superseded by two modern lancets. Some 21 decorated, line-impressed, square (L 0.12m; Wth 0.12m; T 0.025m), orange coloured medieval floor tiles were found in the Cathedral. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 19 January 2012