St. Mary's Cathedral is home to the second peal of bells in Limerick. The earliest record of bells in St. Mary's Cathedral was during the time of John Budstone, a great benefactor to the Cathedral during the period 1360-1401. He made a gift to the Cathedral of 4 brass bells. About this time the tower belfry was built and it therefore assumed that these bells formed the first peal of bells of the Cathedral.

There is no other mention of the bells in the Cathedral records until about 1670. In 1673, William Yorke an Alderman of Limerick and Mayor on 3 occasions presented a ring of 6 bells to the Cathedral. These bells wee cast by William & Roger Purdue and William Covey 1673. In 1703 two treble bells were cast by William Covey to provide an octave. None of these bells survive today, because they were recast from time to time.

There are two legends about the bells that are worth recalling the first being that the Roman Catholics of Limerick concealed their bells by letting them down into the river during the siege and when peace was restored they searched in vain for them. It is said that a silvery chime occasionally greets the faithful.

The second legend states that the bells were originally came from Italy where they were made by a young Italian. During one of the local feuds, common at the time, the Italian lost everything and the bells were carried off and finally arrived in Ireland. The Italian became a wanderer and resolved to find his bells. He sailed for Ireland, and on proceeding up the river Shannon he heard his bells ring out from Limerick Cathedral. When his boat landed he was found to be a corpse.