PLANS FOR the restoration of St Mel’s Cathedral in Longford were announced yesterday. With the statue of St Mel looking benevolently on, Bishop Colm O’Reilly of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise spoke of his sense of hope as he surveyed the wreckage of the building.
The cathedral was completely gutted by fire on Christmas night in 2009. Among the chipped pillars, cracked alters, melted candelabra and charred remains only three statues survived, St Mel, St Therese and the Virgin Mary. Incredibly, the main aisle of the church remains intact despite the collapse of the floor on either side.
He spoke of his pain and devastation at the destruction of the we celebrated a jcathedral, “in St Mel’s Cathedral joyful midnight Mass; dawn revealed a cathedral ruined by fire. The contrast between the happiness of the Mass at night with the heartbreak of Christmas Mass could not have been greater.”
Despite the mammoth task ahead, Bishop O’Reilly is confident the restoration project can be completed within five years. Key to his confidence was yesterday’s signing of a letter of appointment with a design team led by architect Dr Richard Hurley, who will work alongside Colm Redmond and Aidan Kavanagh of Fitzgerald, Kavanagh Partners.
The signing, which was preceded by a Mass to celebrate the feast day of St Mel at the Cathedral Centre in St Mel’s College, was described as “a new dawn” by Bishop O’Reilly.
Chairman of St Mel’s Cathedral project committee Séamus Butler said €2 million had been spent to date, mainly on emergency and enabling work. The total cost of the restoration was difficult to access and would be revealed when tenders were complete, he said.
The committee is now keen to consult with the public on the future of the cathedral, he added.
He said that a “once in a lifetime” apprentice scheme for those interested in specialist conservation work was being planned as part of the project. Talks were under way with the county enterprise board and it was hoped the entrants would be recognised with a Fetac qualification, he said.