Irish Examiner View: St Fin Barre’s Cathedral a jewel of real lasting beauty

St Fin Barre’s Cathedral may not, yet, have the international recognition of Notre-Dame or Hagia Sophia but the people of Cork are as proud of it as any Parisian or İstanbullu are of their treasures, no more so than when it hosted a special service yesterday to mark its 150th anniversary.

Every city has a building or two that can be described in an almost careless, offhand, shorthand as iconic. 

Some cities have buildings with a presence that goes far beyond the iconic; they are living, breathing expressions of what was and may still be. How those cities regard those buildings is an accurate reflection of a zeitgeist’s values.