St Patrick's Cathedral: Dublin Highlights

St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin should be on your Ireland travel list. Even if you're not big into churches, there is a ton of history to be explored. The architecture is amazing, and the park is one of the prettiest.

The cathedral's website has an extensive historic background through this link if you're interested in learning more, but I'll share a few of my favourite tidbits here.

Historic Facts about St Patrick's Cathedral

• St Patrick actually baptized people on this site about 1500 years ago.
• In 1220, the construction of the cathedral began.
• In the 1300s, the church was both blown down and partially burned to the ground (that century couldn't catch a break) and needed rebuilding.
• The choir that exists now was founded almost 600 years ago, and has barely missed a day in performing.
• Jonathon Swift, who wrote Gulliver's Travels, was Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral for a time, and is buried there.
• Thanks to the generosity of the Guinness family (particularly founder Arthur Guinness' grandson), the cathedral was restored in the 19th century.

This iconic Dublin building is in beautiful condition to this day, and does an excellent job of sharing it's proud Irish history with visitors.

I couldn't get over the intricate tiling inside!

The stained glass was added later throughout the years.

Oh the vaulted ceiling...swoon.

Outside of St Patrick's Cathedral is a peaceful park area. Many locals and tourists alike gather on sunny days such as this one. We visited Ireland in mid-May, and I would highly recommend it.

For more Dublin adventures, check out here, here, and here.

If you're looking for the best hotel in Dublin, read my post here.