Irish Times Notes19 Aug 17

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

Heritage Week

Each year Heritage Week provides an opportunity to visit churches and cathedrals some of which are usually only open during the hours of worship. Tours, exhibitions, lectures and concerts all add to the cultural mix.

For example, Heritage Week will be celebrated in St. James church, Castledermot, Co. Kildare, famous for its high crosses. The church and hall will be open from 11am to 4pm and Dean Philip Knowles will give an organ recital at 3pm. In the medieval church of St. Doulagh, at Balgriffin on the Malahide Road, Dublin, there will be guided tours and stories for all ages from tomorrow (Saturday) until the following Saturday while on Wednesday there will be a talk by the Revd Dr Adrian Empey on ‘Irish Parish Churches in the Mediaeval Ages’.

In Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, there will be a wide range of events, which require no booking, including an organ recital by Caroline Richards this afternoon (Saturday) at 2pm. Dr Stuart Kinsella will give a tour of the monuments on Monday at 1.15pm and on Tuesday there will be an open day in the crypt. On Wednesday at 1.15pm Dr Michael O’Neill will lead a walking tour of the cathedral and the nearby parish church of St Werburgh. In St Patrick’s cathedral there will be a Family Day today (Saturday) and for the remainder of the week there will be music recitals, tours and talks each day. Among the speakers will be Linda Taylor on the Huguenots, Eva Krupa an the monuments and Brendan Twomey and Albert Fenton Dean Swift.

Parishioners at Tullameelan parish church, in Co. Tipperary, have recently completed renovations to the building. Erected in 1791, the church is a small and secluded architectural treasure and the work was undertaken following a leak in the sanctuary. The project involved repainting the walls, restoring the pews and floors, and redecorating the porch area. The building features an organ donated by the Earl of Donoughmore and a small room in the bell tower once used by the parish Sunday School. Services take place once a month on the second Sunday. Tullameelan forms part of the Clonmel union of parishes in the Diocese of Lismore.

This evening (Saturday) at 5pm the choir of St Swithun’s church, Sydney, will sing Evensong in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, where they will sing the services tomorrow (Sunday) At 8pm in St Barrahane’s church, Castletownshend, Co. Cork, there will be a recital by the Stavros Youth Choir from Togliati in Russia.

Tomorrow (Sunday) on RTE 1 television at 11 am, a service celebrating the work of lay people, organised by Canon Barbara Fryday, Rector of the Clonmel union of parishes, and Margaret Hawkins, Communications Officer for the Diocese of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory will be broadcast. 35 lay people, including lay readers, who participate actively in the parish, diocesan and national life came together to prepare the service.

Bishop Richard Henderson will speak at what the Rector, the Revd Stephen McCann calls a ‘Songs of Praise style’ service which takes place at 8pm tomorrow evening (Sunday) in St Matthias’ church, Ballydehob, to mark the closing of a two–day Floral Festival being held today (Saturday)and tomorrow (Sunday) from 11am until 7pm each day. The festival will have the theme ‘Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness’ and those attending will see the extensive renovations carried out within the church over the past few months.

Next Thursday evening in All Saints Church, Antrim, the Bishop of Connor will ordain Heather Cooke and Ian Mills to the diaconate.