Irish Times Notes13 Mar 26

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

St Patrick’s Tide Celebrations

Next week the Church will celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

In Armagh on Monday at 8pm  a Vigil Walk by torchlight, led by Archbishop John McDowell and Archbishop Eamon Martin starts at the Church of Ireland cathedral and moves to the Roman Catholic cathedral. Choral Evensongon the Eve of St Patrick’sDay will take place at 7pm in St Patrick’s Cathedral prior to the Vigil Walk. On St Patrick’s Day, Canon David Hilliard will celebrate the Eucharist in Irish at 10am and at the 11am Choral Eucharist the celebrant will be the Archbishop of Armagh.

In St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, St Patrick’s Day will begin with a said Eucharist in the Lady Chapel at 9,15am. At 11.15pm the Patronal Eucharist will be sung by the Cathedral Choir with Canon John Auchmuty, Rector of Knock, as preacher. At 6pm  there will be a  Dublin Council of Churches Service with the theme of ‘Patrick talks about God’ – a celebration in word, song and music of his life and his message.

At St John’s Church, Park Avenue, Sandymount the St Patrick’s Day  service takes place at 11am led by Canon David Oxley. Music and prayers will be in Irish and English with extracts from the Ó Riada Mass.

In Cork, the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross  will preside and preach at the Civic Service and Festival Eucharist of St Patrick’s Day at St Fin Barre’s cathedral, after which Bishop Colton and Mrs Colton will host a reception for invited guests at the Bishop’s Palace.

The Diocese of Down & Dromore will hold its annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Down Cathedral and Saul on Tuesday. The theme for 2026 is ‘Courage in the Line of Fire’.  A member of the Finnish Parliament, Mrs Päivi Räsänen, will preach at the Festival Service in Down Cathedral and Mr Ian Bingham, Director of CARE Northern Ireland, will be  the preacher at Saul. The day begins with Holy Communion at Saul at 9.15am followed by a prayer pilgrimage from Saul to Downpatrick, starting at 10.15am, and  the Festival Service at 11.45am.   

St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, will celebrate a Choral Eucharist at 9:30am on St Patrick’s Day. The music will include a setting of the Irish Blessing by Philip Stopford and Derek Collins’ St Columba Mass.

 To mark Seachtain na Gaeilge the monthly Irish Language Service in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork, at midday tomorrow   (Saturday) will be livestreamed at

www.churchservices.tv/corkstfinbarre

In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, the series of  Lenten sermons and addresses continues at  the 11am Sunday Eucharist, on the theme of ‘The homelessness crisis: A Christian response’. This Sunday the preacher will be Canon Anne Lodge.

On Sunday, Mothering Sunday, in the Mother Church of Tuam, St Mary’s Cathedral, the Bishop of Tuam, Limerick & Killaloe will ordain to the diaconate Rachel Kenny for OLM service in the Tuam/Omey group of parishes alongside Dean Diane Matchett.