Background The See of Dromore was founded in the sixth century by
Colman of Dromore, and has had its own independent jurisdiction ever since. The old cathedral of Dromore, which had been taken by the Protestants, was burnt down by the Irish insurgents in 1641 and rebuilt by
Bishop Taylor twenty years later; the Catholic Church was erected later. In 1750 the seat of the cathedral was transferred to Newry, the largest town of County Down, situated at the head of
Carlingford Lough.
Securing the site in 1823 Bishop Thomas O'Kelly immediately after his appointment as Bishop, inaugurated plans for the building of the Cathedral. The old minute book of the committee in charge of St. Mary's, Chapel Street, tells of a meeting inspired by Bishop O'Kelly, in the house of Denis Callan, Mill Street, on the evening of Wednesday 7 March 1821, with Mark Devlin in the chair. The business of the meeting, at which Father Thomas O'Hare, ADM., was present, is recorded in the following resolutions: The deputation of leading Catholic citizens thus appointed duly visited Lord Downshire, for the Minute book later records that their expenses amounted to £6 4s. That they met with initial success seems unlikely, since two and a half years elapsed before the site was purchased. The original lease now presently stored in the episcopal archives shows that a grant of the "swamp beside the Mill Race, known as Seymour's Green," was obtained from John Johnson and James Coulter by Daniel Jennings and others, on behalf of the parish, on 20 September 1823. The sum of the collection was £141, 2s. 8d. The inside of the Cathedral was unfinished at the time of the Dedication. The galleries were also unfinished. Admission to the service was regulated by tickets at 5s. each. Upon opening the Cathedral was known as the Cathedral Church of St. Patrick. Locally it was known as the "New Chapel."
Third phase of the building 1904 - 1909 The third phase of building works was carried out under the direction of Bishop Henry O'Neill, who was Bishop of Dromore from 1901 - 1915. Monsignor Campbell a future administrator of the Cathedral Parish states, "it is to the refined taste and noble ideals of Bishop O'Neill, perhaps more than anyone else, that the proportions and grandeur of the Cathedral, as we know it today, are due." the architectural firm for the third scheme was Ashlin and Coleman of Dublin. Denis Neary who at the time was Newry's leading contractor was appointed contractor. The third phase of the scheme involved extending the body of the Cathedral 40 feet towards Hill Street and approximately 30 towards Lower Water Street. The entire original facade of the cathedral was demolished and rebuilt in its original form following the extension of the nave of the church. The Sacristy which had been built behind the original Sanctuary, was removed and rebuilt as originally designed, to the North-East corner where it currently stands. The new sanctuary was panelled in marble and divided off from the side chapels by carved rood screens in Carrara Marble. Five new stained glass windows, the work of Hardman of Manchester, were erected around the rear of the Sanctuary. The entire walls of the church from floor to ceiling, the sanctuary floor, the floors of the side-chapels and the passages of the nave, were covered in richly coloured mosaics. When Dr. O'Neill undertook his work there were many who considered his plans rather ambitious given the financial constraints of Diocesan coffers. However, sufficient funds kept coming which gave encouraging hope and work progressed smoothly. Generous sums of money was raised by the parish and diocese, a number of priests were appointed to travel further afield to other parts of Ireland, England, Scotland and the United States of America. The mosaic work was carried out by Oppenheimer of Manchester. The Cathedral contains the largest quantity of gold leafed mosaic in Ireland. The sections of mosaic were put together in a workshop and were glued, face downwards, on strips of parchment. These were applied to the walls in a similar manner to hanging wallpaper. A new tubular triple manual organ was built by Telford and Telford in Dublin. A new heating system, seating and other general church furnishings were added during this time. Two years after the completion of this work Dr. O'Neill purchased the spacious grounds to the south of the Cathedral where a mill once stood; which was destroyed in a fire which threatened the Cathedral.
Cathedral Dignity 1919 - Solemn Consecration 1925 The great sums collected by Dr. O'Neill did not liquidate the cost of the reconstruction work. Though £30,000 had been raised, a heavy debt still remained. This debt was cleared in 1918 by the Most Reverend Edward Mulhern two years after his appointment to the See of Dromore. Though usually designated as a Cathedral, the premier Church of the Diocese ranked canonically only as a pro-cathedral, with
Saint Patrick as its only Titular. At the instance of
Bishop Edward Mulhern, the
Holy See, by a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, dated 7 March 1919, raised the present church to the rank and dignity of a Cathedral. By the same decree the name of St. Colman, Patron of the Diocese, was added to that of St. Patrick as joint Titular
aeque principalis. The Cathedral of SS Patrick & Colman is one of the few church's in Ireland to be privileged with Solemn Consecration. With all debts cleared and the purchase of ground rents secured, Bishop Mulhern solemnly consecrated the building on Tuesday, 21 July 1925 - just one hundred years after the laying of its foundation stone. On the following Sunday impressive centenary ceremonies amid great jubilation marked the solemn occasion. At this function the Most Reverent Dr. Mulhern presided and over twenty Archbishops and Bishops were present including the Primate, Most Rev. Dr. O'Donnell, several Irish Bishops and also a number of foreign Bishops representative of five continents. The streets of Newry were tastefully bedecked with shrines, arches, bunting and papal flags for the occasion. == Features ==