St. Brigid’s Cathedral
This photograph was taken in 1861, during the visit of the Prince of Wales to the Curragh Camp and environs with his mother, Queen Victoria. The future King Edward VII stands prominently in the foreground, arms crossed and pipe in mouth. A few yards from him, an old lady plods gingerly downhill, perhaps oblivious to the identity of the visitor. The Round Tower rises proudly in the background and, to the left, the sarcophagus of the once great St. Brigid’s Cathedral stands unsteadily, like a brittle carapace. The photograph is reproduced here with permission from the Royal Collection Trust (© Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2026 | Royal Collection Trust).
The Cathedral, which had once stood so proudly, now lay in ruins. Looking at the historical resources available from the time, there is a palpable sense of uncertainty as to what to do with the Cathedral. A pro-Cathedral and bell tower had been constructed as an interim measure, both structures being very pro tempore in nature.
In 1871, George Edmund Street, R.A., was commissioned to explore the feasibility of restoring the Cathedral to its former glory. The resulting report, dated October 31st, 1871, gives a comprehensive appraisal of the Cathedral ruins. Street states that: ‘‘The side walls of the Nave present a very remarkable design. The windows are simple lancets, separated from each other by buttresses. Between these buttresses bold arches are formed, nearly on a face with the front of the buttresses.. The effect of the arrangement is to throw a very bold shadow over the window, and to produce a most picturesque effect. But the reason for this is not clear. It looks somewhat as if the men who were building had more acquaintance with military than with ecclesiastical architecture, and as though the defense of the church from hostile attack was a chief motive in this part of the design – a part which, to me at least, is novel’. The defensive nature of the design continues in the narrow footway which is continued by steps over the gables. This, one would imagine, gives defenders from above the ability to transverse the full perimeter of the roof. That said, a head for heights would be a must.
Street was optimistic about the possibility of fully restoring the Cathedral, albeit on a phased basis: ‘There appears to be only one course that I can properly recommend. I should advise that for the present the Choir should not be disturbed; it can be rendered weather-tight, and safe for use, and would serve for use of the congregation until such time as some portion of the old building could be put into fit state for their use. I should then propose to take in hand the exact and careful restoration of the ancient portion of the Cathedral…This would involve…the removal of the modern Tower…When so much of the work has been done, I should propose to remove all the Fittings from the Choir, &c., to fit up the Eastern part of the Nave for the purpose of Divine Service. And then, if means existed…the removal of the Choir might well follow.’ Street was recommending that the restoration be done in stages, pragmatically allowing for the ebb and flow of funding.
Now that a plan of action had been put before the congregation, the huge task of raising the requisite funds loomed into view. In a touching gesture, the first £5 came from the seven year old son of Dr. Samuel Chaplin, who offered the sale of his bullock. Works began in 1875. Newspapers from the time chart the ongoing fundraising efforts. The Leinster Express, September 21, 1889 reports that ‘On Friday Evening…an agreeable and successful entertainment was given at the Gymnasium, Curragh Camp…The entertainment – an amateur concert and recitations – was given in aid of the Kildare Cathedral Restoration Fund…’
Having said that, there were a few hiccups and interruptions along the way. The Carlow Morning Post, July 14, 1877, reported that: ‘We regret to say that owing to a strike amongst the masons employed, the works for the restoration of Kildare Cathedral are for the time stopped. The cut granite is all ready, and the walls of the old towers secured , so that when the harvest is ended the work will be processed with vigorously. By that time, probably, the men will have seen that a strike is not a wise proceeding, although, of course, it may be considered a very independent act. Only three masons appeared at the Cathedral on Saturday , and then Dr. Chaplin closed the works.’
As of 1889, the enormous sum of £7,000 had been spent on the restoration works, and the committee estimated the amount required to complete the works to be in the region of £3,000. With fundraising efforts within the county of Kildare beginning to stall, a meeting was held in the Gregg Memorial Hall, Dublin. The Archbishop of Dublin presided. The Belfast Newsletter, November 22, 1890, carried a report: ‘The chairman, in opening the proceedings, spoke at considerable length, and referred to the very extensive work that had been carried out in the way of church restoration, pointing out what a blot it would be if the Cathedral of Kildare was left in its present incomplete state. The diocese of Kildare contained no large towns, and therefore, the Church people in the diocese could not be expected to provide all the funds that were required for the restoration of the Cathedral. The Church people in that diocese had nobly subscribed, and it was not too much to expect that the Church people of Dublin …should also subscribe’.
A week later, The Leinster Express was able to report that: ‘The chairman, in putting the motion, mentioned that a Dublin citizen had promised a subscription of £100 as soon as the appeal was issued, and he believed there were many others who would contribute largely (applause). The resolution was then carried.’
On July 25, 1896, Archbishop Plunkett of Dublin wrote to The Belfast Newsletter to confirm: ‘Sir – Your readers, one and all, will, I am sure, be glad to learn officially that the Archbishop of Canterbury has kindly promised to visit Ireland, God willing, during the last fortnight of September, and to preach upon the occasion of the reopening of the Cathedral of St. Brigid, in Kildare, on the 22nd of that month’.
One can only imagine the sense of excitement in Kildare Town on the 22nd September, 1896. Not only had a gleaming new Cathedral risen from the ruins of the old. The presence of dignitaries and visitors from all around the world no doubt added a sense of glamour to the occasion. This photograph, produced here with the kind permission of Dean Isobel Jackson, shows the clergy who were in attendance at the consecration, assembled a day later at Old Connaught House, Bray.
