A famous 189-year-old organ will have its first major public outing in over 30 years at the opening of the Waterford Organ Festival on Friday.
The Thomas Elliot organ will be played by organ virtuoso, Mr Peter Sweeney, at Christ Church Cathedral in Waterford City.
The instrument, which has been silent for the past 30 years, has been fully restored and rebuilt by internationally renowned organ restorer Mr Kenneth Jones of Bray.
Some €250,000 was spent bringing the instrument back to its former glory.
Christ Church Cathedral in Waterford is the only Georgian cathedral in the country, and is of major historic and architectural significance.
An official conservation and development programme, under the cathedral's Sure Foundation committee, was established three years ago.
With a fundraising advisory board, headed up by the late Dr Cormac Macnamara, the committee set about reaching out to the business community.
In the past three years, €2 million has been spent on the cathedral's restoration, according to Ms Margaret Fleming, Sure Foundation's development manager. Ongoing fundraising aims to raise a further €2 million, she said.
Already a series of gala concerts, workshops for school children, and intimate Sunday coffee concerts at noon are drawing more people to the cathedral.
The cathedral, which is only a stone's throw from Reginald's Tower, was originally established as a church by the Vikings. It's where the marriage of Strongbow and Aoife took place in 1170.
The Normans built a new Gothic cathedral there in 1210, but centuries later the Gothic style was deemed too old fashioned and taken down brick by brick in 1773. A new Georgian style, designed by Waterford architect John Roberts, was built.
Ms Fionnuala Brennan, events co-ordinator at the cathedral, said it planned to establish the cathedral as a heritage and cultural resource for the south-east. "The challenge is to get more people in," she said.
Ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the cathedral include a series of music workshops for children, including a tour and a visit to a tomb dating from 1481.
Organ festival events, which go on all weekend, are free, and bookings can be made by contacting 051 858 958.