The 164 year old Carlow Cathedral will open on Sunday after extensive refurbishment. The work began in November after a lengthy row with a vociferous minority of parishioners who objected to the renovation along postVatican II lines.
A rededication ceremony will be presided over by the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Dr Laurence Ryan. The Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Dr Luciano Storero, and several other bishops will attend.
The cathedral administrator, Father John Byrne, said the sanctuary area had been refurbished to provide the "inclusive environment for worship envisaged in the liturgical renewal introduced by the second Vatican Council".