This might surprise you if you live nearby.

The bells of the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne will be heard across the Northside of Cork city for the first time in 56 years this Saturday after undergoing essential restoration works.

The nine bells, which were first commissioned in 1869, were a familiar sound that announced the ordination of bishops and priests, weddings, first communions, confirmations, Sunday Masses, the Angelus, and funeral Masses for nearly 100 years.

Restoration work began in 2019, with an ambitious ongoing fundraising campaign supported by personal donations, sponsorship, the parish lotto, and parish donations raising €170,000 to restore the bells and install the new lighting.

The Cathedral worked alongside architects, engineers, and bell experts to complete the extensive restoration project.

“It is fantastic for the children and grandchildren of those who heard them last to hear the bells ring again,” said Canon John O’Donovan, Administrator of the Cathedral.

“We have also installed new exterior lighting for our cathedral so it can be viewed in the evening, and we have future plans to make the tower itself accessible. This is all part of our ongoing plan to also establish the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne as part of a tourist and heritage site that is the greater Shandon area.”

The bells will be rededicated and rung for the first time after 5pm mass on Saturday, December 17th, 2022.