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Christ Church Cathedral
Dublin's oldest cathedral has been standing in some form since the Vikings ran the town, and the real reason to go down the steps is the crypt: the largest medieval one in Ireland or Britain, dim and stony and full of odd treasures. The strangest is a mummified cat and rat, stuck mid-chase inside an organ pipe centuries ago, now dried out in a glass case and nicknamed Tom and Jerry. Buy your ticket online to skip the desk, and budget a bit of time for the crypt rather than rushing the nave.
Photos: Diliff (CC BY-SA 3.0), Diliff (CC BY-SA 3.0), Diliff (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Go for the crypt, not the nave. The dim medieval undercroft and its odd cast of relics (yes, the cat and rat) are the payoff here, and the photogenic covered bridge outside is free. If you are choosing one Dublin cathedral and like the strange and old, this is the one.
Worth it for
- The largest medieval crypt in Ireland or Britain
- The mummified cat and rat and other oddities
- A quick, central, weatherproof stop near Temple Bar
You can skip if
- You are not interested in churches and would rather spend the time elsewhere
- You already plan to do St Patrick's, since two cathedrals back to back can blur together
Tickets & tours for Christ Church Cathedral
Which ticket should you buy?
What it is
Christ Church goes back to around 1030, founded under the Hiberno-Norse king Sitric and rebuilt in stone by the Normans later that century. It is the older of Dublin's two medieval cathedrals (St Patrick's is the other) and the seat of the Church of Ireland archbishop. Much of what you see above ground is heavily Victorian restoration, which is normal for big medieval churches in these islands, so do not expect everything to be original.
The signature view from the street is the covered stone bridge arcing over the road from the cathedral to the old Synod Hall, which now houses the Dublinia medieval-history attraction. That bridge is one of the most photographed bits of the building and it is free to look at from outside.
What to see
Go straight for the crypt. It runs the full footprint of the cathedral, it is the oldest surviving structure in Dublin, and it holds the genuinely weird stuff: the mummified cat and rat, old civic statues and stocks, a copy of Magna Carta, and treasury silver. It is atmospheric in a way the bright nave upstairs is not.
Upstairs, look for the tomb said to be Strongbow, the Norman lord tied to the cathedral's rebuilding, and the medieval floor tiles. If you time it for choral evensong or a service the acoustics are worth staying for. The bells here are a famous full ring, so you may hear them being practiced.
Visiting and tickets
General admission covers the cathedral and the crypt, and you can add a guided tour or a bell-tower experience on top. Booking online usually costs a little less than the door and saves queuing in peak summer hours. You do not strictly need to pre-book, but it helps on busy afternoons.
It is a working cathedral, so areas can close for services and the Sunday schedule is shorter for visitors. Check what is on before you go if you have a tight slot. The combined ticket with Dublinia next door is the better deal if you have kids or want the medieval-Dublin context.
Christ Church Cathedral: FAQs
Yes. They sit in a glass case in the crypt, dried out after getting trapped in an organ pipe long ago. James Joyce name-checked them in Finnegans Wake, and locals call them Tom and Jerry. It is a quick look but it is the thing most people remember.
Not usually. Walk-ups are fine most of the year. That said, online tickets are typically a bit cheaper and let you skip the desk, which matters on busy summer afternoons. Guided tours and bell-tower slots are more limited, so book those ahead.
Roughly 9:30 in the morning to somewhere between 5 and 6 in the late afternoon, later in summer and shorter in winter, with reduced Sunday hours because it is a working church. Always check the current day's times online before a tight visit, since services can close sections.
If you only do one cathedral, Christ Church wins for the crypt and the weird relics, while St Patrick's is grander and has the Jonathan Swift connection. Doing both back to back can feel repetitive unless you really like medieval churches.
There is a combined ticket that covers the cathedral and Dublinia, the medieval-Dublin attraction in the old Synod Hall across the covered bridge. It is good value for families and anyone who wants the Viking and medieval backstory laid out simply.
About 45 minutes to an hour covers the nave and crypt at a relaxed pace. Add 30 to 45 minutes if you do a guided tour or the bell tower, and more if you continue into Dublinia.
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