Irish Times Notes
Church Of Ireland Notes From The Irish Times, 6 July 2013
Architectural Drawings Cataloguing Resumes
The project to digitize and catalogue the collections of architectural drawings of 19th and 20th century churches, which are held in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin, has resumed.
The first phase of this project, which was a feasibility study, funded by the Esme Mitchell Trust in Belfast, took place in 2011. Arising out of this, a successful application to the Environmental Fund which is administered by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, provided the resources for phase two which was undertaken in 2011–12. In this phase drawings from 229 churches in the diocese of Achonry, Ardagh, Ardfert, Armagh, Cashel, Clogher and Clonfert were digitized and catalogued, a data base was designed and the information uploaded. The data base is now freely available at www.archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org
The third phase of the project which will be supported over two year by the Representative Church Body, has begun and 231 drawings of 60 churches in the Diocese of Connor have been processed and the resulting 800 images and catalogue information have been added to the database. Work is now underway on drawings from the Diocese of Cork.
The work has been undertaken by the architectural historian, Dr Michael O’Neill FSA, a member of the Christ Church Cathedral Culture Committee, who has written widely on Irish church architecture, and in particular on the architecture of St Patrick’s cathedral, Dublin.
The purpose of this project is to make an important heritage resource readily available to the architectural, historical and heritage communities , locally, nationally and internationally, and, by providing surrogate copies, to assist with the conservation of this unique collection which is, in part, very fragile.
This evening at 7pm in Bangor Abbey the Salzburger Virgilschola will present a performance of plainchant from the Office of St Virgil of Salzburg with readings from his life. The occasion marks the launch of ‘Amra’, a project on liturgical devotion to Irish saints in medieval Europe which will be introduced by Dr Ann Buckley (Queen’s University, Belfast & Trinity College, Dublin) and Professor Constant Mews (Monash University, Melbourne, Australia).
Tomorrow (Sunday) evening in St Partick’s church, Greystones, at 7.30pm, there will be a concert by the Saskatoon Children’s Choir from Canada who will sing again at lunchtime on Monday in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin.
On Wednesday the Rector of Portlaoise, the Revd Stanley Monkhouse, will give a lunchtime organ recital in St Peter’s church in support of the church and Laois Hospice, and on Thursday in St Paul’s church, Glenageary, the lunchtime event in support of St Vincent de Paul, will be a reading by Katy Hayes, the Dun Laoghaire–Rathdown writer in residence. In Sandford parish church on Friday Carole O’Connor will give a lunchtime organ recital of works by Bach, Mendelssohn, Franck and Alain in aid of the church organ fund.
The Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin recently approved an emergency release of Bishops’ Appeal funds to alleviate suffering caused by the conflict in Syria. €5000 and £5000stg was directed to Syria as part of a wider Church of Ireland disaster relief effort. Bishops’ Appeal is urging parishes and individuals to contribute to the aid efforts in this time of increasing crisis. To date two million people are internally displaced and a further one million have fled to seek refuge in Lebanon and Iraq. Donations received will provide basic food and shelter for those who have had to flee their homes. Donations may be sent to Bishops’ Appeal, Church of Ireland House, Church Avenue, Rathmines, Dublin 6
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’