William Burges was one of the most intriguing and eccentric figures in the history of nineteenth-century architecture and decorative arts. In 1863 he was awarded first prize in the architectural competition to rebuild St. Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork, with the stipulation that the cost of the new building should not exceed £15,000. By 1881 £100,000 had been spent on a magnificent limestone structure in the architect's favourite style, Early French. 

A unique archive of drawings, paintings, plaster models, and of documents of every kind, allows the authors to piece together a detailed account of the errection of this building. It is an extraordinary tale, which touches on architecture, art, the religous and social history of Ireland.