The Cathedral of Christ the King in Mullingar.

Parish wants to train guides for visitors to Cathedral of Christ the King and museum

Enquiries about viewing the museum in Mullingar have come from groups as far away as France and England, reveals Fr Derek Darby, the new administrator of Mullingar parish.

A little known fact is that Mullingar does have a museum, located at the Cathedral of Christ the King – but it is rarely open.

Sadly, generally it has not been possible to accommodate visiting groups – however, the parish wants to change all that, and it is looking for a team of volunteer curators to guide visiting groups around both the cathedral and the museum.

“We are looking at training a team of maybe 10, so no one has to do it too often,” says Fr Derek.

“It will go some of the way to making the museum more accessible and of having it open more frequently.”

The idea is that the guides will be able to explain the history of the cathedral, the materials, the significance of various parts of the building.

“A lot of people are interested in the artworks,” says Fr Darby, referring to the famed mosaics, the work of Russian artist Boris Anrep.

The ideal volunteers would be people with a love for history, and they will receive training so they know the entire story of the cathedral, and of the items in the museum.

He points out that the cathedral will be in use during the fleadh and says it is the aim of the Church to be able to do tours for the fleadh visitors.

The museum, which is only ever open occasionally, such as on Culture Night, contains some fascinating material, including artefacts associated with St Oliver Plunkett, who was actually a native of the Meath diocese.

The location of the museum is up a number of flights of stairs, something that is a consideration for the church.

As a result, Fr Derek admits he is actively considering the possibility of moving it to a more suitable location, if one can be found.

Anyone interested in volunteering should contact the parish office before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, on December 8.

The phone number is 9348338 and the email is office@mullingarparish,ie.