Irish Times Notes03 Dec 22

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

Early Days of RCB Library

For November’s Archive of the Month, the RCB Library returns to exploring its early years, focusing on the evolution of its small but diverse literary range of titles. These include novels, poetry, drama, and literary essays that reflect the eclectic nature of those who visit the Library, whether to borrow items or to spend time reading these items.

At present, there are currently nearly 60,000 print items catalogued on the Library’s online system.  During the pandemic, Library staff used the opportunity presented by remote working to continue to retrospectively catalogue a large number of print items. A large percentage of these items are classed as  literature. Being able to devote this time in a systematic fashion allowed Library staff to gain valuable insights into how the Library developed, from its initial incarnation as the Feenish/Ardfeenish Library (sometimes called Leabharlann an Chomhluadair on its bookplates) through to becoming the Representative Church Body Library in 1932.

The Archive of the Month explores this development, looking at Rosamond Stephen’s role in the founding of the Guild of Witness and the Guild’s library, as well as her successor Geraldine FitzGerald.  The novels that make up this part of the Library’s collection are very much of their time, and were added to the collection in order to inform the moral and spiritual education of members.  An area of particular interest to Rosamond Stephen at this time was that of historical fiction. Indeed, Stephen kept individual handwritten books tracking accessions of this genre, as well as what novels were being read by members.

The article also tells the story of those who donated substantial items to the Library, and the importance of donations to building the print collection as a whole, as well as the literature section specifically. The article looks at two important donors to the early Library, Ethel Goddard and Linda Hillas, both of whose generous bequest made a significant contribution to adding to the original 5,000 items that were donated by Stephen from the Guild of Witness Library.

Tomorrow (Sunday) at 11:00 RTÉ 1 TV & RTÉ Radio 1 Extra & LW252  the Most Revd Pat Storey, Bishop of Meath & Kildare, will lead a Service of the Word marking 16 Days of Activism against Gender–Based Violence against Women, with members of All–Ireland Mothers’ Union, led by their worldwide President, Sheran Harper, and All–Ireland President, June Butler. The new Bishop of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory, the Rt Revd Adrian Wilkinson, will be enthroned in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Cashel, at 3.30pm, while at Evensong in St Patrick’s cathedral, Armagh, Dr Kenneth Milne will be installed as a Lay Canon and the Revd Dr Heather Morris as an Ecumenical Canon. The preacher will be the former Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Richard Clarke. The Archbishop of Dublin will attend the Service of Welcome in Uppsala Cathedral to welcome the new Archbishop, Martin Modéus. of the Church of Sweden

A series of Advent Talks are being held in St Flannan’s cathedral, Killaloe, during Lent. The talks will be on the theme on the theme of ‘bring to light the things now in darkness’ and the next  talk, at 7:30pm on Tuesday. Will be given by Paul Ritchie from the Limerick Baptist Church, who is he author of ‘Is it unspiritual to be depressed?’

On Friday evening at 7.30pm the Archbishop of Dublin will institute the Revd Conor O’Reilly, Curate of Wexford since 2018, as Rector of the Athy Union of Parishes.