Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
COIHS Conference
The autumn Church of Ireland Historical Society conference will be held in the Music Room of Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, tomorrow (Saturday) beginning with registration and refreshments at 10.30am.
At 11.00am, Michael Flaherty will speak on ‘“I fear it will be impossible to keep the parish out of debt any longer without help” : the declining footprint of the Church of Ireland in Kildare and West Wicklow, 1900–1950”, followed at 12 noon by Professor Philip O’Regan on ‘Archbishop King, Dean Swift and the “pursuit of advantage”’.
After lunch, Dr Patrick Little will discuss ‘Going underground: the Church of Ireland, 1649–1660’.
At 3pm there will be a book launch when Professor David Hayton will launch Patrick Little (ed.), The Church of Ireland under the Stuarts which has been published by Four Courts Press. The book will be available at a special conference price of €40/£40 (full price €55/£55). There is no charge for persons attending the book launch only.
Tomorrow (Saturday) the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross, Dr Paul Colton, will preside at the Diocesan Synod in Bandon Grammar School. This will be Dr Colton’s last Diocesan Synod as he has announced that he will retire next Easter.
On Sunday morning the Archbishop of Dublin will preside and preach at the Harvest Service at St Matthew’s church, Irishtown, where he will re–dedicate the organ and dedicate the St Mary’s side chapel.
On Monday at 8pm in St Brigid’s cathedral, Kildare, the Revd Philip McKinley will be commissioned as a new Pioneer Minister for the Dioceses of Meath & Kildare. The preacher for the service will be Bishop Anthony Poggo, former Bishop of Kajo–Keji in South Sudan and the current Secretary General of the Anglican Communion. Pioneer Ministry is a major new initiative within the Church of Ireland. In the Dioceses of Meath and Kildare this first project will be called ‘The Community of the Celtic Cross’. It will be based in Kildare and Athlone parishes, with a particular focus on St Brigid’s cathedral, Kildare, Templeconnor church in Clonmacnoise, and St Mary’s, Athlone.
In Dublin’s St Philip’s Hall, Milltown, on Thursday at 7pm there will be a screening of the film ‘This is your River’ by the Dodder Action Group – a film looking at the importance of the River Dodder and the work of the volunteers who maintain it. The film was created and scripted by Victoria White from Dodder Action and of Sandford parish.
The Dean of Limerick, the Very Revd Niall Sloane, has announced the 2025 Cathedral Community Awards Scheme. The Awards Scheme hopes to highlight the ‘unsung heroes’ of Limerick and will be awarded with a certificate in February 2026. Anyone from Limerick City who has made a contribution towards any aspect of civic life may be nominated. Nomination forms are available from the Cathedral Office until the closing date of 30th November 2025.
Published in the Friday edition of The Irish Times