Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
New Keeper for Armagh Library
Armagh Robinson Library has announced the appointment of Dr Robert Whan as Keeper, to succeed the Very Revd Gregory Dunstan. Dr Whan is currently Assistant Keeper of Collections at Down County Museum and previously co–ordinated various projects for Newry and Mourne Museum. In 2016 he was responsible for the design and delivery of the ‘Remembering 1916’ programme in the Ulster American Folk Park, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and the Ulster Museum. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Dr Whan has a PhD from Queen’s University, Belfast, and has taught history at Queen’s and at the University of Ulster, where he was a Lecturer in Early Modern Irish History.
The new Keeper’s post will initially be supported with a Resilience Grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, helping to develop new audiences and to raise the profile of this historic library at the heart of Armagh, the oldest library open to the public in Northern Ireland. Paul Mullan, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund Northern Ireland, noted that his is another exciting step forward for the Armagh Robinson Library and their resilience programme. The Resilient Heritage grant programme has been designed to support organisations which look after and manage heritage. The Library is a treasure trove of important collections residing inside an important historic building and is open to the public free of charge. The building and the collections need work and support to protect them for the future. Over the past few years the Library has been going through a challenging but exciting programme to ensure that this valuable heritage attraction remains in shape for current and future generations to enjoy.
Dr Richard Clarke, Archbishop of Armagh and Chairman of the Library’s Governors and Guardians, has welcomed Dr Whan’s appointment and the new skills which he will bring to the leadership of the Library’s dedicated staff team. To make way for Dr Whan, Dean Gregory Dunstan will resign as Keeper, while remaining Dean of Armagh. The Keeper is effectively the Chief Executive of the Library. Dr Whan’s appointment marks the separation of the posts of Dean and Keeper which have been combined since 1924. It gives to the Library the advantages of a professionally qualified head which its historic collections deserve.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra, at 11.45am, a service from St Mary’s cathedral, Limerick, will be broadcast. The preacher will be the Dean of Limerick, the Very Revd Niall Sloane. This year St Mary’s is celebrating its 850th anniversary and as part of the celebrations the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, will give a concert in the cathedral on Monday at 7.30pm. This concert will be the highlight of the cathedral’s musical programme in this special year. St Mary’s which was gifted to the Church by Donal Mór O’Brien, the last King of Thomond, has been a site of Christian worship since 1168.
St Martin’s Episcopal Choir from Houston, Texas, will sing a concert of sacred music in All Saints church, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, on Wednesday 18th July at 7.30pm. Tickets at €10.00 are available from Michael Orr (086 6017313) or at the door. The choir will also give a lunchtime concert in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, on Friday at 1.15pm
‘Summer Music at Sandford’ continues in Sandford parish church, Ranelagh, each Friday with the recitals beginning at 1.10 pm. Next Friday there will be a recital by Jenny Robinson (recorder), Andrew Robinson (viola da gamba) and David O’She.
The Irish College of Preachers Conference 2018 will take place in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute from 5 to 7 September. It is designed to be a practical help and resource to preachers, either ordained or lay. The Venerable Andrew Forster will lead the conference this year. Andrew Forster is Archdeacon of Ardboe in Armagh Diocese. He has served in the Dioceses of Down and Dromore, Kilmore and Armagh and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Representative Church Body, the trustee body for the Church of Ireland. He is a respected pastor and preacher. Details of the conference may be obtained from Bishop Ferran Glenfield at bishop@kilmore.anglican.org
Published in the Saturday edition of The Irish Times