Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Saturday 9 May 2015
St Patrick’s Cathedral Exhibition
Next Tuesday evening an important exhibition to mark the 150th anniversary of the restoration, by Benjamin Lee Guinness, of St Patrick’s cathedral, Dublin, will be opened in the Irish Architectural Archive by the Hon. Rory Guinness. Curated by the architectural historian, Dr Michael O’Neill, the exhibition will feature architectural drawings from the St Patrick’s archives, which Dr O’Neill has catalogued in the Representative Church Body Library, and illustrative material from the cathedral.
A major restoration of St Patrick’s had been instigated by Dean Henry Pakenham in the mid 1840s and drawings by the English architect, Richard Cromwell Carpenter, survive in the cathedral’s archives. However, this was a most ambitious scheme which was hampered by funding issues and while the Lady Chapel was re–built and work was done to the choir and the south nave in the 1850s, it was the munificence of Benjamin Lee Guinness which ensured the completion of the restoration between 1860 and 1865.
Benjamin Lee Guinness was the grandson the founder of the famous brewery and took sole control of the company in 1858. He greatly expanded the business making Guinness’s one of the biggest brewers in the world and himself the richest man in Ireland.
The exhibition, which has been sponsored by Ecclesiastical Insurance, will be open to the public from next Wednesday in the Irish Architectural Archive, 45 Merrion Square, Dublin. The exhibition will run until 1 September and will be open each week, Tuesday to Friday, from 10am until 5pm.
This is a weekend of events in celebration of 50 years of the Corrymeela Community, Northern Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation organisation. The culmination of the weekend will be a service at 3.15pm tomorrow (Sunday) in St Patrick’s cathedral, Dublin, where Pádraig O Tuama, Corrymeela Community Leader, will speak on the theme of ‘Our Shared Humanity’ and music will include a contribution from the Discovery Gospel Choir.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the Archbishop of Armagh will take part in a service to mark the bi–centenary of St Patrick’s church, Cairncastle, in the Diocese of Connor, while in the Diocese of Dromore the Bishop of Derry & Raphoe will preach at a Flower Festival in Shankill parish church. In Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, there will be a Diocesan Music Day in which parish choirs are invited to sing Evensong with the combined cathedral choirs. Rehearsal begins at2.30pm with Evensong at 3.30pm followed by a reception. Intending participants should contact [email protected] or 01-677 8099. The Clogher Diocesan Girls’ Friendly Society Service will be held in Donacavey parish church at 4pm while the George Hewson Memorial Recitals continue in St Patrick’s cathedral, Dublin, at 8pm when the recitalist will be the Organist of St Mary’s cathedral, Limerick, Peter Barley who was formerly Organist and Master of the Choristers in St Patrick’s.
On Monday evening at 8pm in St Anne’s cathedral, Belfast, Lord Eames will speak on ‘My Path of Healing’ at the International Divine Healing Ministries service. In Kells Prioy, Co. Kilkenny, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings there will be an exhibition of ‘Pictures at the Priory’. As well as supporting parish funds and the Friends of St Columba’s Hospital, Thomastown, the exhibition also focuses attention on Kells Priory, built as a rectory in the 1830s and in continuous use as such ever since.
In St Brigid’s cathedral, Kildare, on Tuesday morning there will be a Diocesan Schools Service and at 1pm in Monkstown there will be an organ recital by Siobhan Kilkelly from DIT.
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’