officially named the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas, construction on the Galway Cathedral began in 1958 and it was consecrated in 1965. the pews are mahogany and hold up to 2,000 worshipers in a service. the floor is green Connemara marble, and the “acoustically correct” cedar ceiling comes from Canada. one of the stained glass windows depicts the ‘modern’ holy family — Mary is knitting while Jesus and Joseph make a cup of tea.
the cathedral stands on land once occupied by a prison. the courthouse lies just over the bridge and once sentences were handed down, the convicted were merely shunted across the river and locked up. imagine the thought of tearing down a prison in the U.S. and replacing it with a church!