Irish Times Notes13 Aug 22

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

Heritage Week

Next week brings the annual culture fest which is Heritage Week and, as usual, this presents opportunities to visit Church of Ireland cathedrals and churches, some of which are not open to visitors on a regular basis.

In Dublin, St John’s church, Park Avenue, Sandymount, will mark Heritage Week with a display ‘Theatrical Entertainments at St John’s Church Hall Sandymount;, featuring amateur dramatic societies and choirs that used the former church hall from its opening in 1883 until 1963. Groups recalled are the St John’s Society, the Pembroke Choral Society, the Pembroke Players, the Park Avenue Players and the Dublin Religious Drama Group. The display will be on view in the church today (Saturday) and tomorrow (Sunday) between 12 noon and 4pm, and on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 August, also from 12 noon to 4pm each day. 

Tomorrow (Sunday) Canon David Oxley will read Urnaí na Nóna as Gaeilge in St Patrick’s cathedral, Dublin, at 4.30pm as part of Heritage Week. There are more than two hundred memorials in Saint Patrick’s cathedral. On Monday evening at 6.30pm, an illustrated talk. ‘Lives Remembered’ by Albert Fenton, Cathedral Board member and Chairman of the Friends of St Patrick’s Cathedral, will tell the fascinating stories behind some of them.

Also in St Patrick’s the Heritage Week programme includes guided tours of the belfry to ring a bell and discover more about the art of bellringing, five days of organ recitals performed by the organists, a panel discussion on the Church of Ireland in the Revolutionary Period moderated by RTE’s Donal Byrne, an arts workshop led by artist Mags Harnett in which participants will recreate their own stained glass designs and much more. More details and booking information may be had from the cathedral website: www.stpatrickscathedral.ie

In Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, on Tuesday at 1pm, Research Advisor, Dr Stuart Kinsella, will lead a lunchtime tour of the cathedral and grounds which will explore the building’s 1,000 year history.  On Thursday at 2pm visitors can get into costume and go on a fun tour to find out all about the medieval monks of Christ Church, while on Friday at 2pm there will be a Tower Tour and an opportunity to ring the famous Christ Church bells. On 21 August, from 2–4pm, there will be a walking tour between Christ Church cathedral and the Hugh Lane Gallery with visual art story–teller Jean Ryan. These events are free but normal cathedral admission applies. Places may be booked by emailing ruth.kenny@christchurch.ie

On Thursday, Christ Church, Church Road, Bray (A98 W866), will be open from 10am. From 11am until 12.15pm there will be a tour of the stained glass windows which span eight decades from the 1860s to the 1930s, blended with a talk on the concurrent history of the parish and the town. The church will also be open on Friday 19 August from 2pm until 4pm and from 6pm until 8pm.  

Archbishop Samy Fawzy, Primate of the Anglican Province of Alexandria, in North Africa, will preach for BBC Radio Ulster’s Morning Service tomorrow (Sunday) from St Malachi’s Church, Hillsborough. The service will be led by the Rector of Hillsborough, Canon Bryan Follis, and will start at 10.15.  It can be heard  live on 92–95M or 1341MW or afterwards on the BBC website.

On Friday, at 1.10pm, Summer Music in Sandford continues in Sandford parish church, Ranelagh, where the guitar duo of Luke Tobin and Gerard Boyle will play a selection of arrangements for two guitars from Scarlatti to Jarc.