The Church of Ireland

The United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross

St. Mary's Collegiate Church,

Youghal, County Cork, Ireland

 

Face, high on the  outer Boyle Chapel wall

On the right of the Chancel arch is the surviving rood stair, which gave access to a balcony above the arch. In the Medieaval period, carved wooden figures were placed on the rood screen appropriate to the different time in the church calender. Unfortunately, nothing of the screen or the figures survive to-day. Directly below the base of the rood stair stands the fourteenth century stone font with decorated wooden cover and Eucharistic bird.

The roof trusses in the nave are of early Irish medieaval design and construction. The timber has been carbon dated to 1135AD, which tallies with the building period of the church (1220AD).

Building

History

South Transcept

Chancel

North Transcept

--Nave--

Choral Services

Contact

Clerks Choral

St. Paul's Ardmore

St. Anne's Castlemartyr

THE BRISTOL ORGAN

At the top of the Nave is a carved pulpit complete with canopy dating to 1738 and on left hand side is the Bishop's throne topped with exotic pinapples from the new world. It was constructed in the eighteenth century for the Bishop of Cloyne as Warden.

Close to the throne is the ancient wood carved mayor's sword rest. The Mayor of Youghal held the sword as the sign of his office but he was not permitted to carry it while in church. The carved sword rest is brightly painted and bears the ancient coat of arms of Youghal. The sword rest now hangs on one of the pillars of the Gothic arches in the Nave and was errected in 1684.