P?irc Naomh P?draig

Tradition has it that Saint Patrick baptised the first Irish Christians in a well, situated here in St. Patrick's Park, with water from the River Poddle, which still flows underground. A small wooden church was erected here to commemorate the event. The parish church on this site was known as Saint Patrick's in Insula (on the island) because it was located on an island between two branches of the River Poddle. In 1191 John Comyn, the first Anglo-Norman Archbishop of Dublin, gave the church the status of a collegiate church served by a large body of clergy devoted equally to worship and learning.

The church was raised to Cathedral status in 1213 at which time the Lady Chapel was added as part of extensive renovation. About 100 years later the spire was blown down and a fire damaged the church during a period of civil unrest. Archbishop Thomas Minot added the great tower at the western end of the north wall when rebuilding the church.

After the reformation the Cathedral was once more reduced to the status of a parish church but had, by 1555, regained it's Cathedral status. Large parts of the present building were a result of the work of Sir Benjamin Guinness and were carried out from 1864 onwards. The tomb of Dean Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, can be found in the south aisle of the nave of the Cathedral.

Edward Cecil Guinness, Lord Iveagh, developed this park and the original layout, which has remained basically unchanged, drawn up by Arthur Dudgeon, was completed in 1904. Recent additions to the park include the Liberty Bell by Vivienne Roche, which was chosen for the Millenium Sculpture Exhibition. Dublin City Council now manages the park.

[Gaelic language version not available at this time]

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