HAILED as the tallest spire in Ireland, the landmark St John’s Cathedral could be set for a mighty fall from grace with its lofty title now in dispute.
Touted as an impressive 308 feet and 3 inches from the base of the tower to the top of the cross, the Limerick Post have been informed that the spectacular Cathedral does not deserve its elevated status. A local source claims that it is actually under 260 feet tall and does not live up to its altitudinous title of ‘Ireland’s highest spire’.
Drawings dating back to 1878 for St John’s Cathedral from M&S Hennessy Architects, commissioned to design the tower, depict a total tower height of 258 feet. And the Limerick Post source also argues that photographs taken during restoration work to the tower in 2002 shows scaffolding with 37 rises of 7ft lifts — equaling 259 feet.
Head of History at Mary Immaculate College, Dr Liam Irwin who recently published ‘The Diocese of Limerick, An Illustrated History’, stands over claims in his book that St John’s Cathedral has the tallest spire in Ireland.
When contacted by the Limerick Post this week, Dr Irwin commented, “I do not wish to engage any further in this debate which has already been aired. I do, of course, stand over what I wrote.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Limerick Diocese revealed that an older taller spire was removed at St John’s Cathedral for safety reasons during renovations in 2000 and replaced with a slightly smaller spire. However, when surveyed with the new reduced spire, he claimed that it was still “over 300 feet”.
