Month: May 2014

Irish Experience of World War One xxx

Irish men and women served in a variety of places and circumstances during World War One. The Irish experience of World War One varied from fighting in the trenches of the western front to the beaches of Gallipoli to piloting planes, serving at sea, fulfilling the role of chaplain, or tending to the wounded behind… Read more »

Irish chaplains and World War One xxx

“I explained the need of Chaplains with the troops, and invited the priests to volunteer to minister to the spiritual wants of the soldiers at the front” (Memorandum on Irish Army Chaplains, 1917) Both the Catholic and Anglican institutions encouraged their clergy to become army chaplains. These men were thought essential to maintaining the morale of the troops… Read more »

Lantern Slides depicting WWI xxx

In April 2014 around 54 lantern slides were discovered in the Cathedral’s archives. The majority of these slides are entitled “The Great European war” and depict different stages and events during World War One. Originally these slides would have probably been used to form part of a travelling presentation which visited different parishes around the… Read more »

World War One Monuments at the Cathedral xxx

The Cathedral is home to several World War One monuments commemorating the Irish who fought and died during the course of the Great War. Click on “start Prezi” in the screen below. This function may take a few moments to load. Use the arrows at the bottom of screen to go forward or back through… Read more »

Regimental Colours at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral xxx

In the 18th and 19th centuries large portions of the British Army were made up of Irish men. It has been estimated that anything up to 30-40% of the army which defeated Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo was Irish. During the second half of the 19th century the percentage of Irish who made up… Read more »

The French Family Window xxx

This window tells the story of the French family, a family who suffered as a result of World War One. This window commemorates two brothers Charles Stockley French and Claude Alexander French, and their step-brother Bernard Digby Johns, who died during World War One. This window was erected by their parents who lived at Saint… Read more »

Ireland’s Memorial Records at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral xxx

The Cathedral possess a copy of Ireland’s Memorial Records. This eight volume book commemorates and preserves the memory of the thousands of Irishmen who died during World War One and it lists the  49,647 individuals who fell in the Great War. The edition on display here was published in 1923, one of only 100 published at… Read more »

Effect of World War One on Ireland xxx

Nearly every part of Irish society was affected by World War One. The exact number of Irishmen and women who lost their lives as a result of the war is not known, estimates vary from 20,000 up to nearly 50,000. The Cathedral’s community and congregation suffered losses on a similar scale to other parts of… Read more »

History of Remembrance at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral xxx

Remembrance of lives lost in conflict has been a part of the Cathedral’s role since its foundation. During the Williamite-Jacobite War in the 17th Century soldiers were buried here. In the 19th and 20th Centuries, a large variety of monuments commemorating soldiers were added to the building, and regimental colours were hung on the walls. World War One World War… Read more »