1825 – St Mary’s Cathedral, Marlborough Street, Dublin

Dublin’s two medieval cathedrals are both in the hands of the former “Established Church”, the Church of Ireland. After the easing of restrictions on the Roman Catholic faith, it was decided that a new metropolitan cathedral be constructed. Construction of this fine church began in 1815 and was completed in 1825. Possibly designed by John Sweetman (although there are competing theories, and many architects had a had in the project), it is based on the church of St Philippe-le-Roule in Paris.The exterior is an austere Classical Greek with a fantastic portico to Marlborough Street.

The interior is larger than expected and quite ornate with flanking altars still intact, and the main altar under the dome. The large Doric columns are magnificent in the interior space. The church was known as the Pro-Cathedral short for Pro Tempore until November 2025, as the Roman Catholic church always planned to build a new cathedral elsewhere. Many schemes were mooted such as this site for a National Cathedral which would have wiped out Henrietta Street. In the 1930s, the central park in Merrion Square was purchased as a location. Fortunately, this plan came to nothing, and the park was donated to the city in 1974.