It was founded in the belief that it is essential for a University College to meet both the spiritual and academic needs of students. Associated with this was the belief that the chapel's design must be truly Irish in inspiration and representative of early Irish ecclesiastical art. Internally the extraordinary collection of chapel furnishings, textiles, vestments etc. was conceived and executed at the height of the early twentieth century Celtic revival and is a unique expression of that renaissance.

It contains items in silver and wood, cloth, paper and stone, providing a valuable and unique record of the best of Irish ecclesiastical art at the time, and is a remarkable expression of the Irish Arts and Crafts movement. The contributors to this volume illustrate different aspects of the Honan collection, the social and cultural context in which pieces were made, as well as the artistic environment of the arts and crafts movement.

The book also includes the first a comprehensive inventory of the contents of the collection, And over 150 stunning photographs using the latest digital technology.