Churches

St. John the Baptist Church

Opened in 1795, Cashel Parish Church is one of the oldest Catholic churches in present day Ireland. The church was built on the site of the Franciscan Friary. The original structure was a plain rectangular building, divided into three sections at ground level, resembling the basic plan of an ancient Roman basilica. For over one hundred years the church was almost totally devoid of seating on the ground floor. The cut stone facade and the bell tower were added during the time of Dean James McDonnell (P.P. 1831-1855).

The Cathedral Church

The Cathedral Church of St. John The Baptist was built to supersede the Cathedral on the Rock. the new foundations were laid in 1759 on the site of the Medieval Parish Church of St. John the Baptist. However, the building was not completed until 1784 when Archbishop Charles Agar came to see. The tower and the spire were added after the turn of teh century to a designer of Vitruvius Morrison based on a rejested drawing by Philip Gibbs for St. Martin-in-the-Fields. A model of the Cathedral in Cashel is depicted on the tomb of Archbishop Agar in Westminister Abbey.

Dominic’s Abbey

Dominic’s Abbey lies to the southeast of the Rock of Cashel and was founded in 1243 by Archbishop David Mc Kelly and was dedicated to St. Dominic. David Mc Kelly is first mentioned as Dean of Cashel and then as a Dominican Friar. He became Bishop of Cloyne and in 1238 he was appointed Archbishop of Cashel. He died on 2nd March 1253 and was buried in the Chapel of the Apostles on The Rock.