Irish Times Notes10 Jun 17

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

Reformation 500

The Church of Ireland Historical Society and the Catholic Historical Society of Ireland have organised a two–day conference to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. A panel of top–ranking historians will bring participants up to date on current academic thinking on a series of historical events that have profoundly shaped the history of western Europe, and far beyond European shores. They will also address significant legacy issues. Among the speakers will be Professor Alec Ryrie (Durham University) and Professor Peter Marshall (Warwick University) both of whom have recently published major works on the Reformation.

The first day (Friday 20 October) takes place in the Music Room of Christ Church cathedral and the second day (Saturday 21 October) will be held in St Patrick’s Campus, Drumcondra (Dublin City University). A full programme is available on the Church of Ireland Historical Society website.

On the Friday evening there will be the launch of The Church of Ireland and its past: history, interpretation and identity, edited by Mark Empey, Alan Ford and Miriam Moffitt and published by Four Courts Press. This, it is believed, will be a timely contribution to understanding the past, as it has been perceived over the course of those post–Reformation years.

Registration is via Eventbrite (https://reformation_500.eventbrite.ie). Numbers are limited due to health and safety specifications and so those wishing to attend must register. The conference is free of charge.

Today (Saturday). the Cork, Cloyne & Ross Diocesan Synod will be held in the Rochestown Park Hotel.

Tomorrow (Sunday) is Trinity Sunday. At 11 am on RTE 1 television there will be a celebration of Holy Communion with the Navan union of parishes led by the rector, Canon John Clarke. In the afternoon, at 3.00 p.m., the annual ecumenical service takes place at St. Colmcille’s Holy Well, Ballycullen. The preacher will be Philip McKinley, Church of Ireland chaplain in D.C.U. In Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, the patronal festival will be celebrated. The preacher at the 11am Sung Eucharist will be the Dean of St Patrick’s, Dr William Morton. The AGM of the Friends of Christ Church will be held at 2.30pm and in the context of Evensong a new exhibition case for church plate, which has been made possible by a generous bequest from Ms Brenda Beaumont, will be dedicated.

The Greenwich Academy Madrigal Singers from Connecticut, begin an Irish tour on Monday when they will give a lunchtime recital Christ Church cathedral, Dublin. On Tuesday evening at 8pm they will sing in St. Columba’s church, Kells, Co. Meath, and on Thursday they will be in Bandon for a recital in St Peter’s church at 8pm.

On Wednesday the lunchtime organ recital in St Mary’s cathedral, Limerick, will be given by David Simon, a Canadian doctoral student at Yale University.

The Summer Music at Sandford series of lunchtime recital continues on Friday with a recital by the Sheffield University Chamber Choir beginning at 1.10pm

Dunlavin Arts Festival will present ‘Swift in Dunlavin’, an evening of poetry, prose, song and organ on Saturday 17th. June at 8pm. to celebrate the bicentenary of St. Nicholas Church, Dunlavin, and the 350th anniversary of the birth of Jonathan Swift. Booking is through eventbrite.ie

St. Paul’s Church, Clongish, in association with Newtownforbes Tidy Towns, has completed a project to record the graveyard. On Saturday 17 June there will be a Remembrance Service in St Paul’s church at 3pm where the Bishop of Kilmore will preside and the project will be launched by the Longford County Archivist, Martin Morris.