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	Longford Cathedral Burns Down: Is the Irish Church under Attack? By Will Heaven Telegraph December 26, 2009 http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/willheaven/100020750/longford-cathedral-burns-down-is-the-irish-church-under-attack/ It began around 5 am on Christmas morning, a few hours after the celebration of Midnight Mass. Flames were spotted by a passer-by, who alerted the Fire Brigade. But there was little they could do: by mid-morning the 150-year-old St Mel's Cathedral, Longford, in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, was completely gutted. Damage was estimated at 2 million euros. A distraught Bishop Colm O'Reilly said of the cathedral: "It's destroyed." According to Irish Central: Crowds gathered and watched in horror as the flames tore through the roof of the building, and destroyed the interior, gutting historical items dating back to the last century. It is thought that the fire started at the rear of the building and spread towards the front. The Cathedral, which was built in 1856, featured priceless stained glass windows designed by the famed Harry Clarke, an invaluable "Second Coming" tapestry behind the Bishop's throne created by sacred art specialist Ray Carroll, and an 1860 belfry and an 1889 portico, both considered among the great architectural structures of any church in Ireland. Patrick Madrid links to this video: Both the Mayor of Longford and Bishop O'Reilly have promised that the cathedral will be fully restored. But as detectives began door to door inquiries yesterday, one question was on everyone's minds: Was this arson? Given the recent resignation of a second Irish bishop after a report revealed the cover-up of child sex abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese, it could be that this was a deliberate attack on the Irish Catholic Church. If so, it marks a new chapter of anti-clericalism in Ireland.
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