Cathedral of St. Patrick & St. Felim

Cathedral of St. Patrick and St. Felim, Cavan, Ireland

Challenge

Completed in 1942, the historic and spectacular Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Felim is the most dominant building in Cavan Town. Its neo-classic architecture with a 68m spire and with flanking domes dominates the town’s skyline. Internally a vast congregation area and alter is decorated with 28 columns.

Despite its grandeur and beauty, the buildings electrical, maintenance and lighting infrastructure was outdated, costly to run and maintain, and no longer fit for purpose. As part of a wider conservation, restoration and upgrade programme, Callaghan Electrical was selected as the main electrical contractor to scope, install and project manage a full electrical revamp.

This included:

Full building rewiring in a conserved/restoration environment
Internal/external lighting modernisation including restoring of ornate lighting
Installation of modern LED displays, CCTV, AV, PA and Access Control systems
Installation of fire detection, alarm, emergency lighting and safety systems
Mechanical heating/controls and general high-spec technology fitout

A key challenge was ensuring the overall project and execution protected and enhanced the aesthetic, historical fabric and architectural legacy of the building given its artistry, ceilings, statues, murals, stained windows and mosaic floors.

Solution

Callaghan Electrical rolled out a full electrical fit out across the totality of the building. This included full building rewiring, distribution boards, supply upgrade and implementation of a high spec technology package, mechanical heating controls and multi-functional lighting solution. Our team worked with partners and collaborators to ensure a modern revamp while at the same time protecting the existing fabric and architecture of the cathedral.

A key element of the project was a full revamp of internal and external lighting, both modernising lighting, wiring, fittings and bulbs while at the same time restoring ornate, original lightings and fittings back to their original condition. For example, original brass chandeliers were removed, disassembled, cleaned, polished, rewired and modernised with LEDs. Callaghan Electrical sourced and partnered with lighting experts to deliver on a complex specification of mixed lighting arrangements, both internally [alter, congregation seating, emergency lighting] and externally [facade, spire, car parking, public footpaths], all threaded seamlessly into the original environment and architecture.

Callaghan Electrical specified and managed the installation of a modern technology package for cathedral staff and congregation including modern LED screens, CCTV, AV, PA and access control systems. A smart fire detection and alarm system was discreetly fitted into the building, coupled with emergency lighting and a mechanical heating control system, designed for ease of use and maintenance.

Benefits

Modern end-to-end electrical infrastructure, easy to use, run, and maintain
Enhancement of the environment/architecture through best-fit solutions
Protection of original/ornate fabric, tapestry, ceilings/floors and fixtures
Tight management of partners, collaborations and timeframe [16 weeks]
High specification technology fitout package for staff and cathedral users

Customer & Partner Feedback

“Based on our experiences with Callaghan Electrical, we would have no hesitation in recommending them for complex works on a protected structure of this nature and welcome the opportunity to work with them in the future.” - Ronan Fitzpatrick MRIAI, Project Architect, Craftstudio Architecture

“We would like to thank Callaghan Electrical for the considerable efforts made in completing the electrical rewiring of this historic and beautiful Cathedral on time and to an exceptional standard. Callaghan Electrical particularly excelled with this challenging and difficult rewiring project with their problem solving as one of their strongest traits. Their ability to install all the latest technologies without showing any cables is remarkable. They also ensured that they never interfered with the fabric of the building. They really have brought the building back to life. They are very highly recommended.” - Fr. Kevin Fay, Adm. Presbytery, St. Patrick & St Felim Cathedral

Partners