Irish Times Notes01 Dec 18

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

Swift Seminar in St Patrick’s Deanery

The 17th Annual Dublin International Symposium on Jonathan Swift sponsored by The Swift Festival and the Jonathan Swift Foundation will be opened this afternoon at 2pm in St Patrick’s Deanery by the Dean of St Patrick’s, Dr William Morton.

Ashley Marshall, Professor of English at the University of Nevada in Reno, will speak on ‘Swift, St. John, and the politics of The Examiner, 1710–1714’, and Amanda Springs, Assistant Professor at Maritime College, State University of New York, will speak on ‘People like us: Swiftian Satire, Social Identity Theory and ‘Men of Genius’. ‘Funding the house “for fools and mad” – Gathering and Managing Swift’s legacy’ is the topic of Brendan Twomey, an Associate Fellow at the Centre for Modern History, Trinity College, Dublin, and the final paper will be given by Nathalie Zimpher from the Université de Paris IV – Sorbonne, on ‘The unorthodox Orthodoxy of Swift’s Sermons’.

The seminar will conclude with a response from Thomas Keymer, Chancellor of Jackman University, Professor of English at the University of Toronto and General Editor of the Review of English Studies.

At midday today (Saturday) the monthly Irish Language service in St Fin Barre’s cathedral, Cork, will mark the conclusion of Bliain na Gaeilge and the 80th anniversary of the institution of Douglas Hyde as the first President of Ireland.

Tomorrow (Sunday) BBC Radio Ulster will broadcast a Service of Holy Communion for the First Sunday in Advent from St Bride’s church, Kilbride, Co. Antrim, at 10.15am. The service will be conducted by Canon David Humphries. The Archbishop of Dublin will preside and preach at services in the Donoughmore and Donard with Dunlavin group of parishes where the rector is the new Archdeacon of Glendalough, the Ven Neal O’Raw, while in Galloon parish church, Co. Fermanagh, the Bishop of Clogher will dedicate the Lewis organ.

The beginning of Advent will be marked by Advent Processions in Dublin in St Patrick’s and Christ Church cathedrals, and St Mary’s cathedral, Limerick, at 3.15pm, 5pm and 7pm respectively. In St Macartan’s cathedral, Clogher, there will be a Diocesan Advent Carol Service at 7pm while in Belfast at 5pm there will be an Advent Carol Service in St George’s church, High Street.

Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, offers a break from Christmas shopping to hear local school choirs singing carols every lunchtime from Tuesday to Friday at 1.30pm. Admission is free to hear Rathdown School Choir on Tuesday, Mount Carmel School Choir on Wednesday, Belvedere College Junior School Choir on Thursday, and Mount Sackville Choir in Friday.

‘Become a Christ Church Chorister for the day’ is a fun Christmas workshop for boys and girls aged 8 to 16 which will take place on 8th December from 2–4pm in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin. Dress up in a choir robe, learn some Christmas carols and then perform them in the choir stalls of Christ Church Cathedral, led by the Director of Music, Ian Keatley. No singing experience required. For boys and girls aged 8–16. Email ruth.kenny@christchurch.ie to book a place.