Saint Carthage's Cathedral (Lismore)

Gateway, built 1831, comprising pair of limestone ashlar Hindu Gothic-style piers composed of clustered colonettes having foliate capitals, moulded cornices, swept capping and pinnacles, decorative wrought iron double gates, pair of pointed-arch flanking pedestrian gateways with cut-stone surrounds, decorative wrought iron gates, cut-stone coping over, and Hindu Gothic-style terminating piers extending into broken coursed squared rubble stone flanking boundary walls with cut-stone coping. Road fronted at entrance to grounds of Saint Carthage’s Cathedral with stone flagging to north having sections of stone cobbling.

A picturesque gateway of ornamental quality, built to designs prepared by Sir Richard Morrison (1767 – 1844) – the gateway is almost identical to the schemes prepared by the same architect for Portumna Castle, County Galway, pre-1808, and Howth Castle, Fingal, c.1835. The construction of the gateway attests to high quality local stone masonry, particularly to the fine bas relief detailing that has retained a crisp intricacy. The retention of elaborate early wrought iron gates enhances the artistic design quality of the composition. The gateway forms an appropriate entrance to the grounds of Saint Carthage’s Cathedral, and provides an attractive termination to the vista along North Mall to the south.