Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

At the centre of the city of Dublin for almost a thousand years, Christ Church cathedral (or more formally, The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity) has a rich cultural history which can be traced from the Vikings and the Anglo-Normans to the present day.

The earliest manuscript suggests Christ Church cathedral has been in its current location since around 1030. Dúnán, the first bishop of Dublin and Sitriuc, Norse king of Dublin, founded the original Viking church, which is believed to have been subject to the archbishop of Canterbury. By 1152 it was incorporated into the Irish church and within a decade Archbishop Laurence O’Toole (the first Irish-born bishop of Dublin) had been appointed.

Extensive renovations were carried out in Victorian times at a cost of £230,000, equivalent to approximately €26 million in current terms) and while the seriously decayed structure was saved from collapse, it remains difficult, to tell which parts of the interior are genuinely medieval and which parts are Victorian pastiche.

The cathedral famously contains the purported tomb of Strongbow, a medieval Norman-Welsh peer and warlord who came to Ireland at the request of King Diarmuid MacMorrough and whose arrival marked the beginning of English involvement in Ireland.

On one wall alongside the Choir is the famous mummified group of "Cat and Mouse," found trapped behind the organ and preserved by the very dry air of the cathedral.

Christ Church contains the largest cathedral crypt (over 63 long) in Britain & Ireland, which was constructed in 1173.

The crypt contains various monuments and historical features, including:
the oldest secular carvings in Ireland, two carved statues that until the late 18th century stood outside the Dublin's medieval city hall (which was demolished in 1806), a tabernacle and set of candlesticks used when the cathedral last operated under the Roman rite, when the Catholic King James II, having fled England in 1690, came to Ireland to fight for his throne and attended High Mass in the temporarily re-catholicised Christ Church, and the stocks, formerly in Christ Church Place, made in 1670 and used for the punishment of offenders before the Court of the Dean's Liberty.

Opening Times

September - October:
Monday - Saturday: 09.45-17.15;
Sunday: 12.30-14.30

November - May:
Monday - Saturday: 09.45-16.15;
Sunday: 12.30-14.30, 16.30-17.15

June - August:
Monday - Saturday: 09.45-18.15 (except in case of choral service when cathedral closes at 17.00)
Sunday: 12.30-14.30, 16.30-18.15

Cathedral Services
Visitors are welcome to all services

Choral Services
18.00 Wednesday and Thursday Choral Evensong
17.00 Saturday Choral Evensong
11.00 Sunday Eucharist
15.30 Sunday Choral Evensong
All choral services are sung by the cathedral choirs during term times and by visiting choirs at other times.
Please see the Cathedral Diary for current details.

Said Services
Monday – Friday
10.00 Morning Prayer
12.00 Peace Prayers
12.45 Eucharist
17.00 Evening Prayer (when no choral services)

4th Sunday of the month:
17.00 An Eocairist (Eucharist in Irish)

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Ticket Prices

Individuals: Adults €6; Seniors €4; Students €3

A discounted combined ticket for entrance to the cathedral and Dublinia is also available at a substantial saving. Group bookings can be arranged in advance by contacting the cathedral office on 00 353(0)1-6778099

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Disabled Facilities

The cathedral is wheelchair accessible, although the chapels at the rear of the cathedral may present some difficulties for those with limited mobility. As there are stairs to the crypt from the cathedral, there is an alternative wheelchair entrance to the crypt from St. John's Lane. Please inform our staff on the desk if you would like this entrance opened.

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More Information

Telephone: 00 353 1 6778099
Email: welcome@cccdub.ie

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