Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Celebrations in Youghal
St. Mary’s Collegiate Church, in the heart of Youghal, is one of the oldest parish churches still in use anywhere in Ireland. This year the parishioners are celebrating 802 years of continuous worship this year, stretching right back to its foundation in 1220. The 800th anniversary celebrations were delayed because of the pandemic.
Tomorrow (Sunday) at 3.30pm, all are welcome to come to a special service at which Dr Paul Colton , Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross, will preside and the Most Revd John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, will preach. Several choirs will take part, and visitors from all over the diocese and country will be present.
Visitors can see the original oak timbers of the roof from trees cut down around 1190, pottery jars inserted into the walls to improve the acoustics, and the medieval sword rest which housed the Mayor of Youghal’s ceremonial weapon. The Church is surrounded by the high medieval town walls and has survived almost intact through The Black Death which killed almost half of the town, a series of rebellions, wars, a three month siege and the preaching of Oliver Cromwell. Among the many remarkable monuments is the extraordinary Floor to ceiling carved memorial of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork.
A new self–guided audio tour is an attraction for the many visitors from all over the world. The Priest in Charge, Canon Andrew Orr said: “We are thrilled to be marking the 800th anniversary of this extraordinary building with this very special service. We look forward to welcoming not just the Archbishop but local representatives and visitors from across the country.”
With many people attending, admission is by free ticket only, which can be obtained from the church reception desk or on Eventbrite.ie
Youghal is part of a group of parishes which includes Ardmore and Castlemartyr.
The Down and Dromore and Connor Organ Scholarship Board Award Service will take place in St. Columba’s parish church, Knock, tomorrow (Sunday) at 3.30pm. The Rector, Canon John ,Auchmuty, who is Chairman of the Board, will preach and the Organist will be Dr Joe McKee who is one of the Tutors. At the service the new Scholars who have just commenced their training will be welcomed and certificates will be presented to those who have successfully completed their training.
The Archbishop of Dublin will be in the UK on Monday where he will attend the Anglican–Oriental Orthodox International Commission (AOOIC) which will take place in Braintree until Friday.
On at 1.15pm there will be a lunchtime concert in St Mary’s cathedral, Limerick, when Celia Donoghue (clarinet) and Ethna Tinney (piano) will play music by Brahms and Milhaud.
In St Ann’s church, Dublin, on Thursday, there will be a lunchtime recital at 1.20pm when the Ghost Trio will play Beethoven’s Piano Trio in D Major Opus 70 No 1.
The Church Monuments Society has announced “He knows death to the bone” – a series of free online lectures for the season of All Hallows. They will begin on All Hallows’ Eve, a Monday, when Sophie Oosterwijk will deliver the All Hallows Lecture on moralising and macabre memorials. This will be followed by three Saturday talks by Elizabeth Blood on slate headstones, William Roulston on 17th century Scots’ commemoration in Ireland and Julian Litten on coffins for vault burial 1750–1900. All the lectures will take place at 5pm on Zoom. Booking is now open at this link.
Published in the Saturday edition of The Irish Times