03/09/2026
Fresh Eye on Old Stone’s
With a mix of fact, fascinating history and some surprises, those attending the St Edan’s Cathedral Heritage Week talk were certainly not disappointed.
A large audience turned out for ‘Fresh Eyes on Old Stones: Unlocking the Secrets of St Edan’s Cathedral, Ferns’, a fascinating exploration of the cathedral’s hidden history – and organisers were delighted with the response.
The tour and talk were led by Ivor McElveen, Conservation Engineer, and Ronan O’Flaherty, Archaeologist, as part of a Heritage Council funded project to develop a Conservation Management Plan for the cathedral. Attendees were encouraged to look at the cathedral with fresh eyes when some of the secrets held within its ancient stones were revealed.
While it has long been known that the present cathedral is a much-reduced version of the original 13th-century church, the scale of what once stood at Ferns came as a surprise to many. Showing the footprint as being similar to that of St. Canice’s Cathedral in Kilkenny, for many attending, it was a revelation – transforming the way they viewed a building they may have passed or visited many times before.
The Heritage Council Medieval Ferns Experience Ferns Village Historic Ferns Ecclesiastical Ireland
