St Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin: Tours, History + Mass

Founded in 1191, the outstanding St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin seamlessly blends rich history with breathtaking architecture.

Although larger than its arguably more famous neighbour, Christ Church Cathedral, a visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral is often a highlight for many visiting Dublin.

While the guided tour is free, you need to buy entrance tickets for your visit. Learn everything you need-to-know below.

Some quick information about St Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin

Although a visit to St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin is fairly straightforward, there are a few need-to-knows that’ll make your visit that bit more enjoyable.

Note: if you book a tour through a link below we may make a commission that helps keep this site going. You won’t pay extra, but we really do appreciate it.

1. Location

You can find St Patrick’s Cathedral at St Patrick’s Close in central Dublin, a 7-minute walk from Christ Church, a 9-minute walk from St Stephen’s Green and an 11-minute walk from Dublin Castle.

2. Mass times

Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral takes place throughout the week, with a service held each evening from Monday to Friday at around 17:30 (latest mass times here).

3. Admission

Regardless of whether you’re taking the guided or self-guided tour, you’ll need to pay the entrance fee (around €10 for an adult). Once you’re inside, you can take the free guided tour or explore at your own pace.

4. Opening hours + tour times

The St. Patrick’s Cathedral tours run Monday to Saturday at 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 14:30, 15:00 and 15:30. The cathedral is open:

• Monday – Friday: 09:30 – 17:00
• Saturday: 09:00 – 18:00
• Sunday: 09:00 – 10:30, 13:00 – 14:30 and 16:30 – 18:00

5. Part of the Dublin Pass

Exploring Dublin over 24 or 48 hours? If you buy a Dublin Pass for €70 you can save from €23.50 to €62.50 on Dublin’s top attractions, like the Guinness Storehouse and the Jameson Distillery (info here).

What to do at St Patrick’s Cathedral

One of the reasons that a visit to St Patrick’s Cathedral is so popular is due to the sheer volume of things there are to see and do here.

Below, you’ll find info on the guided tours of St Patrick’s Cathedral to what to see around its gorgeous grounds (you can grab a ticket in advance here).

1. Grab a coffee and explore St. Patrick’s Park

Covering a significant area just to the north of the cathedral, St Patrick’s glorious grounds are a lovely spot for a stroll.

Grab a coffee from the Tram Cafe in St Patrick’s Park (one of the best spots for coffee in Dublin) and head for a ramble.

Walk among the flowers and the elegant central fountain before finding one of the many benches so you can sit back and admire the iconic shape of the famous old cathedral.

2. Admire the architecture

Though it was vastly rebuilt and reconstructed in the 19th century, the architects made sure to retain the original Gothic appearance of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.

In fact, considering the rather shambolic state the cathedral was in during the early 1800s, it’s all the more impressive the job that the architects did a few years later.

Thomas Cromwell’s Irish travel guide from 1820 said that the building surely deserved a better fate than “to totter into irretrievable ruin, which from present appearances seems to be its no very distant doom.”

Another impressive note is that at 120 feet high, the tower makes it the tallest cathedral in Ireland while inside it’s best known for its stunning stained-glass windows, polished marble statues and pretty medieval tiling. This is Dublin architecture at its finest.

3. Take a free guided tour

The guided tours on offer at St Patrick’s Cathedral are one of the best free things to do in Dublin and they take place regularly throughout the day.

The tour is taken by a cathedral verger (caretaker) and gives an in-depth insight into the history and significance of St Patrick’s.

You’ll hear about the cathedral’s changing fates, including how it was used for a time as a courthouse and, bizarrely, as an elaborate stable for Oliver Cromwell’s horses.

You’ll also see where the boys of the cathedral choir have been singing since 1432 and visit the sublime Lady Chapel, which was used by French Huguenots who had fled persecution at home.

The history of St Patrick’s Cathedral

While the church was founded in 1191, construction on the current cathedral didn’t begin until around 1220 and took a good 40 years!

Now starting to resemble the structure we see today, St Patrick’s competed for supremacy with nearby Christ Church Cathedral.

The early years

An agreement was arranged between the two cathedrals in 1300 by Richard de Ferings, Archbishop of Dublin.

The Pacis Compostio acknowledged both as cathedrals and made some provisions to accommodate their shared status.

In 1311 the Medieval University of Dublin was founded here with William de Rodyard, Dean of St Patrick’s, as its first Chancellor, and the Canons as its members.

It never truly thrived, however, and was quashed at the Reformation, leaving the path free for Trinity College to eventually become Dublin’s premier university.

The Reformation

The collapse of the nave and the demotion to the status of parish church were just two of the effects of the Reformation on St Patrick’s.

Though in 1555 a charter of the joint Catholic monarchs Philip II of Spain and Mary I restored the cathedral’s privilege and initiated restoration.

In 1560, one of Dublin’s first public clocks was erected in the tower.

Jonathan Swift’s time

For many years, legendary Dublin writer, poet and satirist Jonathan Swift was Dean of the cathedral.

As Dean for over 30 years between 1713 and 1745, he wrote some of his most famous works during his time at St Patrick’s, including Gulliver’s Travels.

Swift took a great interest in the building, and his grave and epitaph can be seen in the cathedral.

19th, 20th and 21st centuries

By the 19th century, St Patrick’s and its sister cathedral Christ Church were both in very poor condition and almost derelict.

The major reconstruction was finally paid for by Benjamin Guinness (the third son of Arthur Guinness II) between 1860 and 1865, and was inspired by the real fear that the cathedral was in imminent danger of collapse.

In 1871 the Church of Ireland was disestablished and St Patrick’s became the national cathedral.

These days the cathedral hosts a number of public ceremonies, including Ireland’s Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Where ‘chancing your arm’ began

The tale of how this phrase came about actually begins at St Patrick’s Cathedral.

The Butler family and the FitzGerald family were feuding over who would become Lord Deputy of Ireland, and things became violent.

The Butlers took refuge inside so to diffuse the situation, Gerald FitzGerald ordered that a hole be cut in the door to the room and he then placed his arm through the hole, offering his hand as a sign of peace and, thus, one of the most famous Irish sayings, ‘chance your arm’, was born.

Things to do nearby

One of the beauties of St Patrick’s Cathedral is that it’s a short spin away from a clatter of other attractions, both man-made and natural.

Below, you’ll find a handful of things to see and do a stone’s throw from the cathedral (plus places to eat and where to grab a post-adventure pint!).

1. Marsh’s Library: One of the last 18th-century buildings in Ireland still used for its original purpose, this 300-year-old is well worth exploring
2. Dublinia: Discover Dublin’s rich Viking past along with the old tower of St. Michaels Church
3. Dublin’s top attractions: There’s everything from Kilmainham Gaol and the Guinness Storehouse to Phoenix Park and Dublin Castle closeby
4. Food and trad pubs: See my guides to the best restaurants in Dublin, the best pubs in Dublin and the best Guinness