Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Online Resources
It is pretty much taken for granted these days that any institution which has care and custody of cultural resources will aim to make them available online. In this respect the Church of Ireland has, in recent years, made significant progress.
The initiative was taken in 1991 when Dr David Lawrence, an English stained glass expert, proposed to photograph and catalogue all the stained glass windows in Church of Ireland churches and cathedrals, The project was supported by the Church and by the heritage bodies in both jurisdictions. It was completed in 2007 and the results are available at https://www.gloine.ie
A more recent complementary project by the architectural historian Dr Michael O’Neill has seen the scanning and cataloguing of the large collection of architectural drawings of churches cathedrals and glebe houses in the RCB Library. This resource, invaluable for architects, administrators and historians, can be viewed at https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org
An important resource for church historians and for those who simply like to dabble in the past are the files of the Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette and its successor, the Church of Ireland Gazette. Dating from 1856, these newspapers are bulging with information about almost every aspect of church life, both central and local. The files have been digitized and details may be found at https://www.churchofireland.org/about/rcb-library/coi-gazette-digitization A complementary tool for both administrators and historians is the long run of the Journals of the General Synod which begin in 1871 and which are preceded by the Journal of the General Convention of 1870. The RCB Library has arranged to have these volumes digitized – details at https://www.churchofireland.org/news/12912/the-journals-of-the-general
An ongoing project in the RCB Library is the digitization of the Library’s holdings of medieval manuscripts. The Red Book of Ossory, a 14th century register associated with Bishop Richard Ledred, and the Liber Niger Alani, a late 15th century register of John Alen, Archbishop of Dublin, have recently been joined by the Crede Mihi, the oldest register of the Diocese of Dublin, dating from the late 13th century – see: https://www.churchofireland.org/about/rcb-library/medieval-manuscripts
St Brigid’s cathedral will host the 2025 Kildare Choral and Organ Festival. It will begin on Friday 29th August at 7.30pm with 4 in a Bar singing a collection of songs from the Renaissance to the modern day, with classical and popular composers alike extolling the wonders of love.
The second night of the Festival, Friday 5 September at 7.30pm, will feature a solo performance from Irish organist Simon Harden, who lectures in organ performance at the TU Dublin Conservatoire and is Organist and Director of Music at Christ Church cathedral, Waterford. The closing night of the Festival, Wednesday 12 September at 7.30pm, will feature music from Bologna in Italy, performed by Thomas Charles Marshall, Norah O’Leary and Francesco Giusti. Tickets at €15 per concert or €40 can be purchased online on Eventbrite or at the door.
Published in the Friday edition of The Irish Times