Bells have been ringing out from Saint Mary’s Cathedral for generations and their rippling, resonant chime is one of Limerick’s most famous and recognisable sounds.

Cathedral records first mention the bells around 1380 to 1390, when a wealthy and prominent citizen of Limerick and liberal benefactor to the Cathedral, John Budston, presented four brass bells to Saint Mary’s.

John Budston was an ancestor of the Arthur family from which the nearby Arthur’s Quay and Shopping Centre gets its name. Mr Budston was also a Sheriff of the City, and a monument was placed in the Cathedral’s South Transept in his memory.

A close-up of a golden angel statue with wings folded behind, hands crossed over its chest, and head bowed, mounted on a stone pedestal against a dark architectural background.
A man in a blue shirt sits in profile inside a bell-ringing room, while two other men in the background are pulling on red, white, and blue striped ropes.
Stone statue of a medieval knight overlooking a churchyard with tombstones, leafless trees, and blooming shrubs under a partly cloudy blue sky, with a tall gray stone church tower in the background.
Interior view of a historic stone church featuring an altar with a white cloth, two brass candlesticks, and a central brass cross. The church has tall arched windows, wooden pews with red cushions, and ornate chandeliers hanging from a high wooden ceiling. Stained glass windows are visible in the background.

The next mention of the bells is in 1670 when a peal of six bells was presented by William Yorke – an Alderman of the City and three times Mayor of Limerick. Yorke died in 1679 and is buried in the Cathedral.

Yorke’s peal consisted of six bells in the key of F, the tenor bell of which weighed about 18cwt. They were cast by the bell founders William and Roger Perdue, whose foundry was in Salisbury, England. One of the brothers – William – died whilst working on the bells at Limerick and was buried in the Cathedral. His burial place was marked by a slab which recorded the following: “Here a bell founder, honest and true, Until the resurrection – lies Perdue.”

Yorke’s peal was supplemented in 1703 with a further two bells, bringing the total peal to eight bells. Over the years, the 6 bells of the Yorke peal have been recast or replaced by new bells, with two bells added in 1703 form the treble and second of the present ring.

The Bells of Saint Mary's Limerick

Other notable people who have contributed to the wellbeing of Saint Mary’s bells are Sir Alec W Shaw of Limerick, who had the third bell recast by John Taylor and Company, Bell Founders, Loughborough, England, in 1923. In addition, Mr Everard Hewson of Castlehewson, Co Limerick, presented a new bell in 1907, replacing a defective one. Mr Hewson also presented a call bell and had the treble, second, seventh and tenor bells recast between 1930 and 1938.

Saint Mary’s Cathedral Limerick was also home to a set of mini bells which were once situated in the Cathedral, but which now reside in the nearby St. Munchin’s Church.

Bells: 8 bells. Tenor: 24.0.1/1220kg

Service Ringing: Sunday 10.30am – 11.15am

Practice Night: Monday 7.30pm – 9.00pm (except August and Public Holidays)

If you’d like more information about bell ringing at Saint Mary’s, please get in touch via email.”

Request more information