A leading expert on heritage conservation yesterday expressed concern that historic mosaics in St Colman's Cathedral in Cobh could be irreparably damaged if plans for work on the church interior go ahead.
Dr Frederick O'Dwyer, of the Architectural Heritage Advisory Unit of the Department of the Environment, said he was very concerned about the proposal to remove the mosaics from in front of the sanctuary and re-lay some of them while putting others into storage.
Dr O'Dwyer was giving evidence on the opening day of an oral hearing by An Bord Pleanála into Cobh Town Council's decision to grant planning permission to the trustees of St Colman's Cathedral to carry out the works.
The Department of the Environment is one of a number of third-party appellants.
Dr O'Dwyer also raised concerns about the technical difficulties of the proposals to remove the mosaics and re-lay some of them. He pointed out that English mosaic conservation experts Trevor Caley Associates had noted the risks in removing mosaic from cement bases, as is the case in St Colman's, and previous attempts to remove these types of mosaics from cement bases elsewhere had failed.
The proposal to remove and re-lay the mosaics at St Colman's, which were created by Venetian craftsman Ludwig Oppenheimer, is part of the changes to the church sought by the trustees to bring the church in line with the liturgical requirements of Vatican II.
Dr O'Dwyer told Maurice Collins SC, for the trustees, that a revised proposal by the trustees was preferable in that it would ensure all the mosaics were relaid and not put into storage but it still did not address the technical difficulties of lifting the mosaics.
Donough Cahill, deputy director of the Irish Georgian Society, described the changes proposed by the trustees as "invasive works".
He said they "would compromise the integrity of the cathedral as a whole".
