St John's Cathedral has the highest spire in Ireland at 308 feet and 3 inches from the base of the tower to the top of the Cross. The Cathedral is an example of Victorian Gothic design. The tower tapers into a spire at 163 feet high.

An iron cross was placed on the top of the spire on 27 September 1882. However three days later the cross was knocked during a storm. Little damage was caused to the building and a new cross was placed on the spire in August of the following year. A lighting conductor was also placed on top of the spire in 1883.

A firm of architects led by Maurice Hennessy designed the spire and the builder was Mr. T. Byrne. The Cathedral bell was cast in Dublin in 1883 and was transported by barge to Limerick. The bell weighs one and a half tons.

The Cathedral was renovated in 1884 as the interior was in need of a major restoration due to dampness. After this restoration, the consecration of the Cathedral took place on June 21st 1894. It officially became a Cathedral on January 7th 1912 in a decree by Pope Pius X, which also restored the Cathedral Chapter.

More work has been carried out on the Cathedral since but this has mainly been to keep the building in a good state of repair. A new copper roof was put on the Cathedral during renovations in the early 1950s. Further renovations were carried out on the sanctuary in the Cathedral during the late 1970s and again in 2003.

Address: Cathedral Place, Limerick City

Phone: +353 61 414624

Email: stjohnsparishlk@eircom.net