Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
New Diocesan Choir Competition
Tomorrow (Sunday) evening at 8pm the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Michael Jackson, will preside at the inaugural Diocesan National Schools Choir Competition in Christ Church cathedral. The event is part of the celebrations for the Dublin and Glendalough 800 anniversary.
Across the United Dioceses school choirs have been practising for this event. A total of 10 school choirs are taking part with entrants hailing from Rathfarnham, Greystones, Sandford, Taney Parish, Dunlavin, Celbridge, Glenageary and Killiney, Wicklow, Donore Avenue and Whitechurch, Dublin.
Over the past few months, the pupils and teachers from these schools have been beavering away learning new music and honing their performance skills. In the competition, each school will sing two pieces of music: one of which must be capable of being sung in a worship setting. The adjudicators on the night will be Dr Kerry Houston, Head of Academic Studies in the D.I.T. Conservatory of Music, and Mr Ian Keatley, Director of Music in Christ Church cathedral.
As music is an important part in building confidence, skills and an occasion for teamwork especially for children, this competition will foster a sense of unity within schools and the dioceses, and will give children an opportunity to exhibit their God–given gifts for singing to a wider audience.
The event should last approximately two hours and prizes will be awarded for the best overall choir, the best unison choir and the best part–singing choir.
Today (Saturday) in Borrisokane church, Co Tipperary, the Girls Friendly Society in the diocese of Limerick, Killaloe & Ardfert will hold its Diocesan Service and Prize Day.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning RTE will televise a service with a congregation from the Raheny and Coolock group of parishes in north Dublin. The service will be led by the Rector, the Revd Norman McCausland. At 11am in the grounds of Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin City Council will conduct a tree planting ceremony. As part of this event the Archbishop of Dublin will dedicate a Tree of Baptism to mark the physical and spiritual growth of children who were baptised last year in Rathfarnham parish where the rector is Canon Adrienne Galligan.
Tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon at 3.30 pm the Friends of St Macartan’s cathedral, Clogher, will hold their 62nd Festival Service and Annual Reunion at which the preacher will be the Bishop of Meath and Kildare, the Most Revd Pat Storey. At 6pm in St Patrick’s cathedral, Dublin, the Cathedral Choir and Orchestra will perform J.S. Bach’s The Passion of Our Lord according to St John, as part of the cathedral’s Passiontide offering.
The meeting of the Irish Society for Archives on Tuesday evening will have an ecclesiastical tone as the speaker will be Dr Jason McElligott, Keeper of Marsh’s Library. The intriguing title of Dr McElligott’s talk is ‘Awkward, Uncomfortable and Evil Things in Archives and Manuscripts’ The meeting begins in Dublin City Library & Archive, Pearse, Street, at 6.30pm.
On Friday evening at 8pm. Dr. Philip Knowles will host a concert of music and verse in St. James Church, Castledermot, with local choirs and instrumentalists and on Saturday, 8th April at 8pm, a Welsh Male Voice Choir ‘Brythoniaid’ will perform in St. Michael’s church, Athy, on their first visit to Ireland.
There will be a fun free workshop ‘Make your own Easter Garden’ at Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, on Saturday 8th April 2–4pm, for adults and children – 7 years old and up. All materials will be provided and normal cathedral admission applies. Booking is essential. Please email: ruth@christchurch.ie
Published in the Saturday edition of The Irish Times