The Cathedral of the Assumption at Thurles, in the county of Tipperary, in Ireland, closed for over sixty years, was reopened to the faithful on 5 October, restored to all its original splendour. Founded by Archbishop Patrick Laehy in 1865, it was solemnly dedicated, nine years later, by Archbishop Thomas Crocke. Its architecture in the Romanesque style recalls that of the twelfth-century cathedral of Pisa. It replaced the pre-existing Big Chapel. In a period of great poverty, the enthusiasm shown by the archbishop in the building of this new cathedral proved infectious: it involved the whole population that contributed, also financially, to its realization. Archbishop Dermot Clifford of Cashel and Emly, during his homily on 5 October, recalled the words inscribed on the façade of the cathedral: “O Lord, I love the habitation of thy house, and the place where thy glory dwells” (Ps 26:8). According to the archbishop, this is a psalm that also poses a question, because “in modern Ireland, where husband and wife are often away from home for reasons of work and many also work on Sundays, there’s a great shortage of time; many people say they don’t have the time to go to church”. Msgr. Clifford commented on this situation by quoting a popular Irish proverb: “Don’t leave Mass for anything else, for nothing in the world is more important than it”.
