1 – The new 2,300 pipe organ is one of the largest in the country and was made by the Fratelli Ruffatti of Padua.
2 – All 28 limestone columns were so severely damaged by the 2009 fire that they could no longer carry the walls above them and so every one of them had to be replaced.
3 – In November 2011, a time capsule was discovered within the Statue of the Sacred Heart – which had been the highest statue on the roof and is now located behind the altar. The corroded capsule contained paperwork which is believed to have contained the names of the children from the 1890s in the diocese who had contributed their pennies towards the purchase of the Sacred Heart statue.
4 – St Mel’s incorporates the work of ten contemporary artists, five men and five women, including Imogen Stuart and Korean priest Fr Kim en Yoong who made the stained glass windows along one side of the cathedral. The Stations of the Cross are still be completed by sculptor Ken Thompson. The altar is made of a single block of Carrara marble, the same marble from which ‘David’ was sculpted by Michelangelo.
5 – Two Harry Clarke stained glass windows have been repaired by Abbey Stained Glass in Dublin and have been returned to their old positions.
6 – The cathedral will be formally rededicated on 17 May 2015.
7 – A museum is planned for the crypt in which it is hoped that some of the 25,000 images taken by Tiernan Dolan since Christmas 2009 of the work of architects, craftsmen and artists will be displayed.
8 – Live streaming of Masses at St Mel’s can been seen via the website www.churchservices.tv/stmelscathedral Those more comfortable with their TV sets, the live stream is available on the local Longford town cable TV station – http://www.crossan.ie/index.php/cable-television-overview/ or through a Set Top Box supplied by Church Services TV (CSTV).
