St. Columb's Cathedral

St. Columb's Cathedral

St. Columb's Cathedral
4.5
Architectural BuildingsReligious Sites
About
Majestic, neo-Gothic Church of Ireland (Anglican) Cathedral, built between 1628 and 1633. St. Columb's is the oldest and most historic building within the walled City of Londonderry. It has recently been extensively restored. The Chapter House Museum displays artefacts from the Siege of Londonderry in 1689 and also many other interesting items.There is an audio visual display which tells the visitor the history of the Cathedral and there are guide leaflets available in 8 Languages. Admission is free - donations are welcome.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles347 reviews
Excellent
200
Very good
126
Average
16
Poor
1
Terrible
4

Danks Knows
Shoalhaven, Australia2,239 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Solo
St Columb’s Cathedral is in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is a very majestic cathedral that has served a city torn apart by politics. The cathedral is very close to the walled fortification of Derry and you will pass it if you are walking around the wall.
Well worth a visit.
Written September 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tadhg PolĂłc
Lewistown, PA14 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
My visit was highlighted by the staff at the cathedral the day I visited. These staff (who are volunteers and parishioners) gave me a tour of the cathedral and chapter house, and one even took time to show me the United States flag that had been donated by US Sailors and Marines during their stay in Londonderry/Derry during World War II. The churchyard is also beautiful, and my wife spent hours taking pictures of its natural beauty.
Written October 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bozeman-Dublin
Trim, Ireland11,386 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Solo
I love St Columbs and try to pop in everytime I am in Derry, as I was today. Beautiful inside and out and easily accessible right by the city walls.
I love the serenity inside and the layers of history it has. The banners that hang along the nave are amazing, some absolutely ancient.
Just a fantastic place to visit.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

S Griffiths
35 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
We arrived in Derry on Sunday and went sight seeing on Monday morning. The church was supposed to be open but was firmly locked to all comers. The office was also closed although supposed to be open and their was no response on the given phone number.
Written June 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Red
Stockport, UK467 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2014 • Couples
This beautiful cathedral dominates the skyline and is Londonderry's oldest building with an amazing history, much of it associated to the famous siege which locals rightly feel enormously proud of the way the city and its people bravely fought against invading forces. Beautiful stained glass windows, the oldest peal of bells in Ireland and a fantastic museum which should not be missed.
Written January 23, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bozeman-Dublin
Trim, Ireland11,386 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2019 • Solo
St Columbs Cathedral is absolutely beautiful and well Worth a visit. It's spire dominates the city skyline and it's set in lovely grounds right next to the city walls. There is an access gate from the walls themselves but it was closed on my visit so you enter on the street,.
Admission is free although they ask for a donation to help fund the 4 million pounds it took yo restore the place so beautifully. ÂŁ2 is suggested but it's up to you.
It was built in 1628 in neo gothic style and is the oldest of call the historic buildings in the city with beautiful stained glass windows and numerous artefacts from the Siege of Derry. It has lots of ancient flags hanging along the sides and at the back of the altar. They are quite captivating as they are really showing their age, some going back to the siege itself of 1688.
It's a religious place, a place of worship, so I find it hard to reconcile spoils of war and conflict bring displayed while you pray but I cannot deny that they are hugely significant historically and extremely interesting.
Anyway, a beautiful place, so serene and venerable. A highlight of any visit to Derry in my opinion.
Written April 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maureen D
Belfast, UK34 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2018 • Couples
It's an interesting building, architecturally speaking both inside and outside.
The grand scale and the heavily decorated interior is also quite nice.
However, what perhaps puts a dampener of the visit is that the front reception is a shop and you can't take photos without paying which I don't feel really represents the charitable nature of the Christian faith. There is an interesting video which of course you can also buy if you are into paying for something you'll probably only watch once.

On the whole, the building itself if beautiful, from an architectural point however be prepared to be bombarded with items to be bought.
Written January 12, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
As far as I am aware most Cathedrals in the British Isles have a shop.The profit from the shop helps in a small way with the running and maintenance costs of the Cathedral. In the past few years we have spent almost ÂŁ4 million on major restoration work and maintenance. We do not charge admission to non-commercial visitors, so we make a small charge for photography and, if a visitors makes a voluntary donation, we do not charge for photography. We sell only a small number of items in the shop so to use the word "bombarded" seems to be excessive in the extreme. There is no pressure on anyone to buy, videos included. It seems that one of the tenets of the Christian Faith ,charity, has bypassed you!!
Written June 29, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Karin T
69 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2016 • Couples
Free to get in, no photos without donation. This is an open Cathedral so do not be surprised finding someone praying or meditating any day, any time. Be respectful and if you are genuinely interested in this Cathedral's history and what part it played in the Walled City's history, befriend a volunteer and they will unlock secrets for you that you had no idea were right there!! Once you taken in the size, beauty, history, architecture, etc. of the interior, take a stroll through the grounds around the Cathedral. You won't be disappointed, but you will be surprised how much time you spent absorbing everything, so don't underestimate the time you allot yourself. Be sure to visit St. Augustine's Church before so that the history and architecture can fully be appreciated.
Written September 26, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JSZERO3
Grantham, NH20 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2016 • Family
We happened upon this Cathedral by happenstance and decided to stop in. A friendly docent immediately approached us and offered to show us around. He was so kind and knowledgeable. It was as if he took us on our very wonderful journey into the history and soul of Northern Ireland, as seen through the window of that little Cathedral. Thank you so much for an experience and feeling we will never forget.!
Written September 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

letterkennycaint
Letterkenny, Ireland12,140 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2015 • Solo
This beautiful old building is within the walls and as the name suggests, is dedicated to St Columba. While walking the walls recently, I decided to go in for a gawk. On entering, I got stopped by a man, who was charging visitors for looking around, and taking pictures. Personally, I do not believe in having to pay, to enter churches [or cathedrals], so I told him, that I had no money, and that I'd return at a later date. However, he let me in without paying, but would not allow me to take pictures in the museum.
Written February 19, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There is no charge to enter St. Columb's Cathedral. Visitors are asked to make a voluntary donation if they wish to do so. There is a small charge of ÂŁ2 to take photographs in the main body of the Cathedral. This is usually waived if the visitor has made a voluntary donation. Photographs are not allowed in the Chapter House Museum due to the fragile nature of some of the material on display there. You should not have been ask to pay for entry and I'm sorry that this has happened. We'll be happy to refund that charge if you email with your details.
Written February 20, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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St. Columb's Cathedral, Derry

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