Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 26 July 2008Exhibitions in Christ Church
Since the Middle Ages one of the important roles of the great cathedrals of western Europe has been in education. Usually this was the responsibility of the canon chancellor who looked after the cathedral schools. In Ireland, only St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, still has cathedral schools with a choir school and a grammar school for older pupils. However the ministry of education is still alive in other cathedrals exercised largely through exhibitions, lectures and musical events.
This year marks the 130th anniversary of the re-opening of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, after a lengthy closure during which GE Street’s major restoration of the building took place. In May there was a series of lunchtime lectures on the restoration. Now, an exhibition of remarkable drawings and photographs showing Street’s work in progress has been mounted in the crypt, and will remain there over the summer months. The exhibition has been curated by the architectural historian, Dr Michael O’Neill, who is a member of the cathedral’s Culture Committee.
The restoration exhibition was made financially possible by the generosity of the Heritage Council and a corporate donor. The Irish language body, ‘Colmchille’, has generously loaned the splendid display boards originally used for its own events in the crypt last year. While the exhibition is now available to the public, it will be officially opened following Evensong on Saturday 20 September by Professor Roger Stalley of Trinity College, who has written extensively about the architecture of Christ Church.
Two other exhibitions are also running in Christ Church. In the north transept there is an exhibition of carved stonework from the medieval cathedral. This includes some finely decorated pieces which had previously been on display in the crypt and in the Dublin Civic Museum. They have been prepared for exhibition by Dr Rachel Moss from the Irish Art Research Centre in Trinity College, Dublin, and the display has been arranged and coordinated by Dr O’Neill.
In the Treasury in the crypt there is an exhibition of Dublin parish silver which has been arranged by the Rector of Drumcondra, the Revd Roy Byrne, and Dr Raymond Refaussé, both members of the cathedral’s Culture Committee, with the assistance of the renowned silver expert, Mr Douglas Bennett. Like the GE Street exhibition, this display has been supported by the Heritage Council.
Today (Saturday) and tomorrow (Sunday) the services in Christ Church Cathedral will be sung by the choir of Hatfield College, Durham and in St Patrick’s Cathedral, tomorrow (Sunday) the Close Chorale will be in residence. In Templeconnor Church, Clonmacnoise, there will be a summer service at 4pm while in Kilkenny at 6pm Professor Gerard Gillen will give an organ recital in St Canice’s Cathedral.
On Monday evening at 8pm in Rathfarnham parish church there will be a Summer Choral Concert with the United Methodist Church Choir from Atlanta. The proceeds from the concert will be divided between the Badulla Elders Home in Sri Lanka and the Friends of the Dublin Central Mission Sheltered Housing.
There will be a lunchtime classical guitar recital by Jonathan Crissman in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, on Wednesday while in the evening in St Brendan’s Church, Kilmocomogue, Bantry, there will be a concert by the New England Conservatory Metropolitan Flute Orchestra.
On Thursday the College of Siskiyous Concert Choir form California will give a lunchtime concert in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, while in the evening in Castletownshend the pianist, Philip Martin, will give a recital as part of the St Barrahane’s Church Festival of Music.