The cathedral is named for the Saints
Adamnán and
Columba; it opened on 16 June 1901 and is built in
Victorian neo-Gothic style on a site overlooking the town. It was designed by
William Hague, the well known Dublin architect and protégé of
Pugin, and following Hague's death by his partner
T. F. McNamara and was built at the cost of £300,000(around £50 million in today's money), making it the most expensive church in Ireland. St Eunan's Cathedral has a
spire with a height of 240 feet. White
sandstone from
Mountcharles was used in the construction. It was shipped along the coast and up the
Swilly. Townspeople carried bucketloads of the sandstone to the construction site piece by piece. The cathedral is furnished in
oak, with a
marble pulpit by Pearse Brothers of Dublin. The pulpit depicts
statues of
the Four Masters and the
Four Evangelists. The stained glass windows that illuminate the
sanctuary and the
Lady Chapel are by the Mayer firm of
Munich. They depict thirteen scenes from the life of Jesus. The ceilings are the work of Amici of
Rome. The Great Arch illustrates the lives of
St Eunan (better known as Adomnán or, locally, Adhamhnáin) and
St Columba. The
sanctuary lamp is made of solid silver and weighs over 1500 ounces.
Willie Pearse, who took part in the
Easter Rising, created some of the sculptures found within. There are 12 bells in the Cathedral bell chamber. They carry the names of the saints of Tír Conail -
Dallan,
Conal and
Fiacre,
Adomnán,
Baithen and Barron, Nelis and Mura, Fionán and Davog, Cartha and Caitríona, Taobhóg, Cróna and Ríanach,
Ernan and Asica and
Columba. The 12th bell weighs over 2 tons 5 cwts. After the cathedral was opened the organist played "O'Donnell Abu", "St Patrick's Day", "
The Last Rose of Summer", "
The Wearing of the Green" and "The Bells of Shandon". In 1985, the cathedral was renovated and remodelled to better conform to the liturgical requirements of the
Second Vatican Council. Care was taken to preserve the style and materials of the original altar in the new altar table and chair. The original altar-piece, an Irish carving of
Leonardo's
The Last Supper, is still present in the cathedral and has been incorporated into the new altar. The sandstone exterior of the cathedral was cleaned in July 2001. The stone was then repaired and pointed with a special mortar of lime and sand. Krystol Hydrostop was finally applied to the exterior. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, Monsignor Gillespie, with Bishop of Raphoe Alan McGuckian, agreed to celebrate weekday morning Mass for the nation on
RTÉ Television. In late August and during September 2025 the cathedral underwent redecoration, with the cathedral closing during the week, to allow for the redecoration work to be completed. The newly redecorated cathedral was unveiled in October 2025. ==Clergy==