Bishops have been consecrated, installed and laid to rest here. President, Taoisigh, Cardinals and leaders of Church and State have graced this place with their presence. Priests have been ordained here. The Bishop's chair or Cathedra is here, as are the stalls of the Cathedral Chapter. Side by side with the big moments, the Cathedral has also seen the ordinary and the every day. Spiritual journeys have begun here with baptism and ended here with a commendation for God's mercy. Faithful love has been pledged before this Altar and children have come here in succeeding generations to receive First Communion and to be Confirmed. Memories have been made here and lives have been touched and changed through time spent within its walls. It is God's house and our home.

Bishop John Ryan laid its foundation stone in 1856 a mere decade after the Great Famine. The people of the Diocese enthusiastically contributed to its construction, so much so that a project which began as a parish one soon became a diocesan one. Friends in the United States, Scotland and England also responded most generously to the initiative that was taken. The names of all those who contributed in the Parishes around the Diocese at that times are still to be found in the local newspapers of the age. A marked quality of the fundraising activity of 1850s was the generosity of the non-Catholic people of the Diocese. Their ecumenical concern and support were quite remarkable.