In the fall of 2019, I headed to Ireland and the UK with my sister and my parents. One of our initial motivations for our three-week trip was taking Dad to Limerick so he could see a very specific stained-glass window.

In the late 1980s one of Dad’s distant cousins researched and wrote a comprehensive family history, that we affectionately took to calling the Caswell Book. Across the years Dad read it a few times and took an abiding interest in a branch of the family (who we directly descend from) who settled in 18th century mid-west Ireland. That family prospered in the area and in the late 19th century, commissioned a stained-glass window that became known as the Caswell Window in St. Mary’s Cathedral.

On arriving in Ireland, our priority was visiting the Caswell Window. On our second full day of the trip, we got up early and left our central Dublin flat and took a quick walk down toward the River Liffey to the stop where we’d catch a coach to take us to Limerick and St. Mary’s Cathedral (don’t even get me started on how great public transit is in Ireland compared to Canada).

In Limerick we found St. Mary’s in the medieval quarter near King John’s Castle. Today it remains the oldest active church in the city. It’s a beautiful cathedral surrounded by centuries of parishioner’s graves and tombs, including the remains of Samuel Caswell, Dad’s ancestor whose family members commissioned the very window we were there to see.

Thanks to a bit of research, I had a general sense of where the window was in the church but no real understanding of its size or where it would be exactly located. So, prior to leaving on the trip I emailed a lovely woman at the church for a bit of help; St. Mary’s is a large church and I wanted to make sure we could find the window with ease. I was quickly assured my concern was unnecessary.

There was certainly no chance we’d miss it (although truth be told, we did mix it up with a smaller window nearby for a quick minute). The Caswell Window is a gorgeous, and enormous, stained-glass piece that covers the entirety of the north transept. Commissioned in memory of Samuel Caswell, the five large lancets depict numerous bible scenes including the Sermon on the Mount, St. Peter, St. Paul, and Mary at the Tomb. In addition to the imagery, there is an inscription that runs along the bottom of all five lancets: “Erected to the Glory of God and in loving memory of Samuel Caswell, Esq. J.P. of Blackwater by his widow and daughter. He died 9th of August 1874.”

In her 1887 book A Descriptive and Historic Guide Through St. Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick, Francis Meredyth writes that the window is “a strikingly handsome stained glass memorial of the late Samuel Caswell, Esq., J. P., of Blackwater, presented by his daughter, Mrs. M. Maunsell, wife of Captain Mark Maunsell, J. P., Strand House, late of the Royal Dragoons, and by her mother, the widow of Mr. Caswell. This beautiful piece of art was the workmanship of Messrs. Heaton, Butler, and Bayne, of London, and reflects the highest credit on the skill and taste of their distinguished house. This window, also of five lights, may be thus presented in one view” (p 29).

Standing in front of the widow, the quality and craftsmanship is obvious: the depth and range of the colour, the crispness of the lines, and the clarity of the design. It is clear that the window was created by artists who were pre-eminent among the stained-glass designers and manufacturers of the time.

Once I was home and thinking about pulling together this post, I also found a project cataloguing all of the stained glass windows in Ireland includes a wonderful entry on the Caswell Window.

I found it especially lovely that while we were taking in the window, a pianist and cellist duo were warming up for the concert they would perform later that day. The entire atmosphere of the church lent to creating a special moment for our family. As we left St. Mary’s, after thoroughly exploring both the grounds and the rest of the church, it was obvious how much our day-trip to Limerick meant to Dad as he made a meaningful connection with his familial past.