Clogher, St Macartan's Cathedral

The earliest mention of bells comes from Fallow's The Cathedral Churches in Ireland in which it is said that "about the year 1295 Bishop Matthew MacStaid built a chapel, or oratory over the grave of St Macartan , and rebuilt Clogher Cathedral; to which he gave various articles, including bells". We find that the then Bishop of Clogher, Right Rev. Robert Clayton, gave a bell to the Cathedral in 1751. It came from the Rudhall Foundry in Gloucester.

In 1775, the cathedral was said to be "Not in good repair". According to the Vestry minutes of 1781, Bishop Garnett, successor to Bishop Clayton, gave two bells. However, in the Bishop's own handwriting, it says "sent a bell to the Cathedral and a smaller one to Fivemiletown Chapel. What happened to the Garnett bells or bell, doesn't appear to be known, because we next find that seven bells, cast by Murphy of Dublin, are provided, which being added to the Rudhall bell made a chime of eight bells, the old being the heaviest or the Tenor. The Garnet bells were grossly out of tune; the Treble bell sounded to G Sharp whilst the Tenor gave a Flat C Note! The provision of these bells was mainly due to the exertions of Rev Dr Bailey, the then Rector, who personally contributed over £150 to the object, having originally offered to pay one-third of the cost. It was reported on August 1, 1877, that "a splendid peal of bells has been erected".

The entire chime was recast into a tuneful chime of eight bells in 1951 by John Taylor and Co., Loughborough, when Rev. Canon R.A.Mollan, later Dean of Clogher, was Rector. The original Rudhall inscription was in the main retained on the Tenor though Rudhall's name was omitted.