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Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

Holidaying at Home

What do Achill, Armagh, Bangor, Belfast, Cobh, Dalkey and Portrush have in common? Well, they all feature in the current issue of the Church of Ireland Gazette as places to visit, and given the restrictions on overseas travel, this summer is an opportunity to see some places closer to home.

The Revd Maebh O’Herlihy writes about St Thomas’ church in Dugort and its welcome for musicians all year round, and Alf McCreary introduces readers to some of the riches of the Armagh Robinson Library. Canon Ronnie Nesbitt reflects on the history of the popular seaside town of Bangor and its association with St Comgall while the Dean of Belfast, the Very Revd Stephen Forde, introduces St Anne’s cathedral, now at the centre of the trendy Cathedral Quarter, which took more than 100 years to complete. The Revd Paul Arbuthnot urges readers to ‘Come to Cobh’ with its Titanic Experience and the certainty of a warm welcome in Christ  Church, Rushbrooke; the Rector of Dalkey, the Revd Bruce Hayes, recommends the local Heritage Centre with its focus the early Christian period and the numerous hospitality opportunities of the Co. Dublin sea side village of Dalkey; and the golfing Rector of Ballywillan, Canon Peter McDowell, reminds readers that not only does Portrush have a fine mid–19th century parish church, Holy Trinity, but also two of the best golf courses in Ireland while close by are the Giant’s Causeway and Ireland’s oldest distillery at Bushmills.

Of course there is much more in the Gazette – news, features opinion, reflections, reviews. The Gazette is published monthly both in hard copy and as a e–paper. Subscription details may be had at gazette@ireland.anglican.org

One of Ireland’s oldest churches to remain in continuous use, St Mary’s Collegiate Church in Youghal, has a great many stories to tell. Now an exciting new immersive visitor experience in the church, ‘Voices of St. Mary’s’, lets visitors hear and see some of those fascinating moments from history. Written and designed in part by historian and St Fin Barre’s cathedral parishioner, Dr Alicia St Leger, the tour emphasises that worship is still at the heart of this wonderful building, as it has been continuously since 1220. 

Visitors can also browse the interactive displays, which allow them to explore the past, with fascinating insights into what the church looked like in different periods since Early Christian times. Animated illustrations show the exterior changes to the church over the centuries and video footage of the excavations and discoveries unearthed during the Church’s archaeological dig of 2014 are on display.

Supported by Fáilte Ireland’s Ancient East Storytelling and Interpretation scheme, with matched funding from Cork County Council, a total of €252,000 has been invested in this project.

Decades of service on behalf of those who are most marginalised in society, including victims of clerical abuse, were recognised recently, when Dr Margaret Kennedy was presented with her Langton Award for Community Service by the Archbishop of Dublin at St Patrick’s church, Greystones. The award is among the Lambeth Awards given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby, to acknowledge contributions to the Church and wider society. Dr Kennedy’s award is for rendering outstanding service to victims and survivors of Church–related sexual abuse through founding Minister And Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors (MACSAS), an organisation run by survivors, in the late 1990s following requests from survivors with whom she had worked through Christian Survivors of Sexual Abuse (CSSA), which she had also founded in 1989.

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