St.Fachnan’s Cathedral in Kilfenora has secured €92,271 under the 2026 round of the Community Monuments Fund, issued by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This was the only grant afforded to County Clare. (The highest number went to Cork, which received 12 grants.) The support of Clare County Council was required for the application to go forward.
There have been several attempts to apply for funding since Kilfenora Development Community Group first approached the Church of Ireland in 2020 to point out the level of disrepair this historic structure has experienced. Due to the persistence in particular of the current Vicar, the Rev Vicki Wright, the gutters and windows have since been repaired, and this grant has been won. It will enable substantial work to take place to continue weather-proofing the building and restore its plaster work, using traditional methods such as limewash which help the walls to ‘breathe’.
For some years now the intention has been, once grant aid was achieved, to enable the building to be re-opened publicly and used more regularly for both religious services and events. This grant represents a big step forward towards getting the building back in shape, and back in regular use.
The end-goals of the conservation work include enabling the building to be heated better and made more comfortable. The Cathedral has been used occasionally for special services, an art exhibition and for the annual Riches of Clare concert at the Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival. However these tend to be the only times that the historic interior of the Cathedral and its fascinating artefacts can be seen. Restoration in the interior includes repairing the prominent McDonough family memorial, and externally in 2026 more work will be done on the Cathedral’s distinctive gable end.
Conservation Architect Karol O’Mahony is overseeing the works. Stonemason Eoin Madigan is also engaged; the Madigan family were well-known Kilfenora stone workers stretching back over generations (and Pat Madigan was a prominent member of the Kilfenora Céilí Band.)
Kilfenora is known as the ‘City of the Crosses’ due to the high concentration of Celtic crosses in one location around a cathedral, with the current structure dating from 1058. The interior repairs will enhance the appeal of Kilfenora to visitors to our ancient monuments. Once published, the results of the survey of the Cathedral’s historic graveyard conducted during 2024-5 will also provide further information for visitors and local residents alike.
