What is the tallest church spire in Ireland?
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In an un-published thesis “Vision Marerialised: The building of St. Colman’s Cathedral,Cobh (186801917) by Ann Wilson, submitted to the Dept of History of Art and Design, 2002 for an MA Degree National College of Art and Design NUI, she states on p.71 that the spire on St. Colman’s is 287ft (87.47760 m.)
Wikiupedia figures or data is always suspect – they have St Johns as 28 feet taller than Limerick Diocese has it. Personally I’d go with the diocesan information.
I think that St. Colmans in Cobh just looks the tallest because it’s up on a hill. But even if it wasn’t on a hill, it would still look extremely tall compared to other cathedrals. Wikipedia says it is the tallest at 313 ft, but I wouldn’t put money on it.
Wikipedia is very good for common topics but i’d expect that the exact height of a church in limerick might not be 100% accurate.
Here are the original drawins from 1911 for the completion of the spèire of Cobh Cathedral. You will notice the markings on the right hand side noting that the height of the spire from its base to the foot of the cross in 200 feet. Well, if someone would measure the height of the tower to the base of the spire and add the height of the Cross, we should have the height of the spire. Anne Wilson in her excellent study of Cobh Cathedral mentions a height of 300 feet. I have no doubt, however, that Cobh exceeds Limerick in height.
I see a little of the “Cork Abu” in Praxiteles’ insistence on the superiority of Cobh Cathedral. I had always heard that Limerick was the highest, followed by Maynooth. Who was it – O’Casey? – that wrote of Maynooth’s spire: “a dagger through the heart of Ireland”?
In any case, concerning the spires of Germany: I have passed Ulm by train (sadly, I hadn’t the chance to stop) and the spire is arresting. However, having stood and gazed long at the façade and spires of Köln, I have to say they seem higher and are certainly awful (in the true sense!). Some images…
Very keen, Prax, very keen! 😉
However, I think you will find that the original meaning of oxymoron is “a rhetorical figure by which contradictory terms are conjoined so as to give point to the statement or expression”. My Oxford adds rather roguishly “Now often loosely = a contradiction in terms.”
But in any case, to misquote Emily Dickinson:
“Because I could not stop for Ulm, Ulm kindly stopped for me…
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