St Macartin's Cathedral, Enniskillen, is one of two cathedral churches in the Diocese of Clogher (the other is

St Macartan's Cathedral, Clogher St Macartan's Cathedral, Clogher is one of two cathedral churches in the Diocese of Clogher (the other is St Macartin's Cathedral, Enniskillen) in the Church of Ireland. It is situated in the village of Clogher, County Tyrone, Northern Irela ...

) in the Church of Ireland. It stands on high ground overlooking the town of

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of and had a population of 63,585 as of 2021. Enniskillen is the ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. It was completed in 1842 as St Anne's Parish Church but rededicated as St Macartin's Cathedral in 1923. It incorporates elements of a former church building and has a 150-foot (45 m) tower and spire. The tower houses a peal of ten bells, which can also be chimed to play tunes. The three manual electro-pneumatic action organ consists of thirty-three operated speaking stops, together with full pedal board and enclosed swell and choir divisions. The dean and chapter of Clogher have their stalls in this cathedral and also at the senior cathedral in Clogher.

History

The first church building on the site was completed around 1627 as part of the original building of the town of Enniskillen by Sir William Cole. By 1832 that building had become structurally unsafe and was replaced by the present building, which was completed in 1842. The chancel was enlarged in 1889. In 1923 the church was rededicated as St Macartin's Cathedral, thus becoming the second cathedral of Clogher Diocese. On 26 June 2012,

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

attended a thanksgiving service at the cathedral for her

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

. The service was led by Kenneth Hall, the Dean of Clogher, the

address An address is a collection of information, presented in a mostly fixed format, used to give the location of a building, apartment, or other structure or a plot of land, generally using border, political boundaries and street names as references, ...

was given by Alan Harper, the Anglican

Archbishop of Armagh The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...

and the lesson was read by Peter Robinson, the First Minister of Northern Ireland. The

intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of prayer, praying on behalf of others, or Intercession of saints, asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others. The Apostle Paul's exhortation to Saint Timothy, Timothy speci ...

prayers were read by Ken Lindsay, the President of the

Methodist Church in Ireland The Methodist Church in Ireland () is a Wesleyan Methodist church that operates across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on an all-Ireland basis. It is the fourth-largest Christian denomination in Northern Ireland. The Irish Met ...

, Seán Brady, the Roman Catholic

and Roy Patton, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the

Presbyterian Church in Ireland The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI; ; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Prisbytairin Kirk in Airlann'') is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the Republic of Ireland, and the largest Protestant denomination in Northern Ireland. ...

. Following the service, the Queen made the short walk to St Michael's Catholic church where she met representatives of local community groups. This was the first time that she had visited a Catholic church in Northern Ireland. In March 2023, the Cathedral celebrated 400 years of worship on the site, in a service attended by the

Bishop of Clogher The Bishop of Clogher (, ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and ...

, Dean of Clogher, and Archbishop

John McDowell John Henry McDowell (born 7 March 1942) is a South African philosopher, formerly a fellow of University College, Oxford, and now university professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Although he has written on metaphysics, epistemology, anci ...

, Primate of All Ireland, with a reading by the Lord Lieutenant of Fermanagh, Viscount Brookeborough.

References

St Macartin's Cathedral - The History Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Macartin's Cathedral, Enniskillen

Diocese of Clogher (Church of Ireland) Gothic Revival church buildings in Northern Ireland Enniskillen Churches in County Fermanagh Churches completed in 1842 19th-century churches in Northern Ireland

History

See also

References