Sited on a hillside above the south channel of the River Lee, St Finn Barre's Cathedral is a miniature cathedral but a decorative giant. The exterior of this comparitively small cathedral is dominated by the three spires, two on the west front, and one over the crossing of the nave and transepts. The building was the unanimous result of an architectural competition held in 1862.

The exterior is very ornate, the architect William Burges was an enthusiast of 13th century Gothic architecture and this building is the realisation of his dream. All aspects of the designs was controlled by Burges. All the designs for the external sculpture was modelled by Thomas Nicholls in London and brought to Cork to be copied by a team of masons based onsite. Accordingly the exterior is covered with gargoyles of all sizes and descriptions.

The west front is dominated by the twin spires, rose window and three main entrances. Each of the doorways is flanked by statues of various saints and has a sculpted tympanum.

The west rose window is surrounded by four stylized angels while smaller gargolyes (above left) decorate the exterior of the exposed crypt along Bishop Street. The interior of the cathedral is equally decorative with a huge amount of decorative features squeezed into a space that barely contains 700 people.

Some images from the Irish Builder, Vol.13, 2 January 1871, showing details of the carvings of the rose windown and west tympanum, as well as a perspective of the building in 1871 before the spires were completed in 1879/