Christ Church Cathedral is almost 1000 years old and was originally a Viking Church and is now an Anglican cathedral.

The history of Christ Church Cathedral reflects the history, both religious and political, of Ireland. The Cathedral Crypt is one of the largest in Ireland, dating back to the 12th century.

Music forms a very important part of cathedral life and the Choir traces its origins to 1493 with the founding of the choir school. The cathedral choir has always been highly regarded in Dublin’s musical life and took part in the first performance of Handel’s Messiah in Dublin in 1742. With the largest repertoire of any cathedral choir in the country, covering more than five centuries and including many works commissioned especially for it; it is comprised of 22 professional singers led by a full-time Director of Music, Ian Keatley.

The cathedral’s deployment of 19 bells, ranging in weight from a quarter of a ton to two and a quarter tons, represents a world record of numbers of bells available for full-circle ringing.

Treasures of Christ Church exhibition
The restored 12th century crypt, one of the largest in Ireland, now houses the important Treasures of Christ Church exhibition, together with the superb video of the cathedral history by Louis Marcus. The exhibition features manuscripts and artefacts that give the visitor some impression of nearly one thousand years of worship in the cathedral and nearby churches. Outstanding among the rare church silver is the stunning royal plate given by King William III in 1697 as a thanksgiving for his victory at the battle of the Boyne. Also on display are the conserved tabernacle and the candlesticks used in 1689 under James II when the Latin rites were restored for a three-month period.

The Treasury also plays host to a rare 14th Century copy of the Magna Carta Hiberniae which is the centrepiece of an exhibition launched by the British Ambassador to Ireland in Ireland – think Robin Hood, Richard the Lionheart and King John.