Galway’s Pro-Cathedral is located at the corner of Abbeygate Street and Middle Street and was a highly significant religious building in its day. It was commissioned in July 1816, and there are many mysterious stone carvings, called ‘1816 Stones’, around the city marking this date. The building was opened in 1829, towards the end of the Penal Law era.
In those bitter times, Catholics were prevented and penalized for practising their religion. This resulted in Catholic Mass locations being kept secret and priests often wearing disguises. The Penal Laws, however, were not as rigidly enforced in Galway City as elsewhere. The Protestant authorities in Galway mostly turned a blind eye to the celebration of Mass and to priests' activities.
The laying of the foundation stone and the building of this church represented the Friendly relations that existed between the Protestant and Catholic clergy. The fact that it took another thirteen years for the Penal Laws to be fully abolished made that ‘official opening’ of a Catholic church by the local Protestant ascendancy all the more unusual for that time! The unique event was reported in print detailing how leading Protestants, including clergy, gentry, and the head of the Protestant corporation, Mayor Hyacinth Daly, were present, to the delight of a crowd of approximately 10.000 who attended. The general opinion was that the 1816 Stones mentioned above were essentially carvings on buildings and walls commemorating this event. These carvings were usually accompanied by inscriptions such as the IHS or INRI lettering.
The building was completed and opened in 1929. At the time, it was described by Galway historian Hardiman as' a considerable ornament to the town, and one of the most spacious and elegant Catholic chapels in the Kingdom’.
The Pro-Cathedral was deconsecrated in 1965 as the new Galway Cathedral was opened.