Irish Times Notes04 Apr 20

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

50 Years of Four Courts

This month marks the 50th anniversary of Four Courts Press and this is clearly this is an important anniversary for Irish publishing in general and for Four Courts in particular. Founded in April 1970 by Michael Adams, Four Courts Press has published well over 2,000 books on a range of subjects in fields such as archaeology, art, Celtic studies, Irish history, medieval studies and music and currently publish around 40 books a year. Significantly, for the Church of Ireland, much of its history in the last 25 or so years has appeared under the Four Courts imprint.

Of course there was Church of Ireland history published before Four Courts and also by other publishers but not a lot. The, for long standard, History of the Church of Ireland, edited by Alison Phillips had been published by Oxford in 1933 and the more popular history by Johnston, Robinson and Wyse Jackson by the APCK in 1953 who were also responsible for Kenneth Milne’s short history. Yale published Akenson’s important administrative history in 1971 and RB McDowell’s The Church of Ireland, 1869–1969 was produced by Routledge & Kegan Paul in 1975.

However, following the establishment of a Church of Ireland archive in 1981 and the more ready availability of primary source material there was a marked increase in Church of Ireland institutional history, much of which appeared under the Four Courts imprint. In the vanguard was a collaborative history of Christ Church cathedral, Dublin. But not alone was there a volume of history, edited by Kenneth Milne and published in 2000, but under the editorship of Raymond Gillespie, a seven–volume series of related documents beginning in 1996 with his edition of the The Proctor’s Accounts of Peter Lewis, 1564–65. A catalogue of the maps of the archbishops of Dublin followed in a handsome illustrated edition designed by Martin Fanning, and in 2002 the first of the RCB Library’s Texts and Calendars series appeared – the ninth, Ronnie Wallace’s edition of the churchwarden’s accounts of the Dublin parish of St Bride was published this year. Following an important exhibition of the medieval manuscripts of Christ Church cathedral, a volume of essays on this theme, edited by Raymond Gillespie and Raymond Refaussé, appeared in 2006 and in 2009 there was a collaborative history of St Patrick’s cathedral.

Two volumes of studies of the laity and of the clergy have been published as has Kenneth Milne’s monumental history of the charter schools, his & Paddy McNally’s new edition of the letters of Archbishop Hugh Boulter, and Ciara Boylan’s study of the life and career of Archbishop Richard Whately. A volume of essays on historiography, edited by Mark Empey, Alan Ford & Miriam Moffitt, The Church of Ireland and its past, has provided valuable context for earlier writings.

In accordance with government guidelines Four Courts is closed for the duration of the Covid–19 emergency but a catalogue of recent and forthcoming books can be viewed on its website – www.fourcourtspress.ie. Also staff are working from home and may respond to individual queries.

Applications for a new round of Clergy Daughters’ School grants are invited. Educational grants for the academic year 2020–2021 are available for the daughters of the Church of Ireland Clergy, who are in Secondary Schools (1st–6th Year) or in Universities or other Third Level Colleges. Application forms are available at clergydaughters@gmail.com or from the CDS Secretary, Mrs Caroline Cummins, 7 The Avenue, Rathdale, Enfield, Co. Meath, and should be returned, when completed, to arrive by 30th April.