St. Eugene's Cathedral

It was not until the passage of the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 that the possibility of building a Roman Catholic cathedral in Derry could be contemplated. Fundraising for the building of the cathedral took place from 1840. Work began on the construction of the cathedral in 1849. The cathedral's location is next to Francis Street and Creggan Street in Derry. The total cost of building the cathedral amounted to just over £40,000. Money was raised not just in Derry and Ireland, but also in America where around £4,000 was raised. The architect commissioned to design the cathedral was James Joseph McCarthy who had already built numerous cathedrals across Ireland. The plan of the cathedral is…

Saint Eugene's Cathedral forms part of the Parish of Templemore in the city of Derry, which also includes Saint Columba's Church, Long Tower. The Bishop of Derry – Most Reverend Donal McKeown is the Parish Priest of the Templemore Parish. Bishop McKeown was installed as Bishop of Derry in the cathedral on Sunday 6 April 2014. The bells of the cathedral can be heard over the Derry area each day at 8:00am, 12:00pm, 6:00pm and 9:00pm, ringing out seasonal tunes and calling parishioners to masses. As of March 2025, the cathedral parish covers a Catholic population of 12,140.

During Holy Week of 2013, the Good Friday liturgy and the Easter Vigil celebration was broadcast live from the cathedral on television by the Republic of Ireland state broadcaster RTE, with both ceremonies transmitted across Europe through Eurovision. The broadcasts were made to celebrate the City of Derry being the 2013 UK City of Culture. On Sunday 13 December 2015, the bishop of Derry, Donal McKeown, opened a "Holy Door" in the cathedral to commence the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy in the Roman Catholic Church, which ran until Sunday 20 November 2016. The "Holy Door" is the main entrance door to the cathedral. The entrance porch has been completely refurbished. On entering the…