Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Yeats’ Anniversary
‘Yeats2015‘ is a year–long event to celebrate the life and work of the poet, William Butler Yeats, who was born 150 years ago on 13 June 1865, and he is the subject of the RCB Library’s Archive of the Month presentation for June.
Both Yeats’ baptism in Donnybrook parish church, Dublin, a month after his birth, on 12 July 1865, and the re–interment of his remains at the graveyard in Drumcliffe, Co. Sligo, on 17 September 1948 (which took place some nine years after his death at Menton, France, on 28 January 1939) are recorded in Church of Ireland parish registers.
Yeats was born into an extraordinarily talented artistic family: his father John Butler Yeats, became a renowned portraitist; his sisters Susan (Lily) and Elizabeth (Lolly), became innovative craft–workers who made the reredos in St Nahi’s church, Dundrum; while his brother Jack became one of Ireland’s most celebrated painters. Their mother Sarah Pollexfen, married John Butler Yeats on 10 September 1863 in St John’s parish church, Sligo. The family would move between Dublin, London and Sligo while Yeats was growing up but it was in Sligo where Yeats and his siblings would spend much of their youth which he regarded as his spiritual home.
It was here in the churchyard at Drumcliffe (where Yeats’ paternal great–grandfather, Revd John Yeats had been rector between 1811 and 1846) that the poet was finally laid to rest, on 17 September 1948, in a simple Church of Ireland burial service conducted by the rector of the parish, the Revd James Wilson, and assisted by the bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh, the Rt Revd Albert Hughes. The record of burial was subsequently entered onto the parish burial register.
The RCB Library’s online exhibition will feature the baptismal and burial entries, together with other illustrative material documenting Yeats’ Church of Ireland roots and is available on this link: www.ireland.anglican.org/library/archive.
Tomorrow (Sunday) there will be a special service to mark the 175th anniversary of Sallaghy parish church, Co. Fermanagh while in St Patrick’s cathedral, Dublin, the Friends Festival Service will be held at Evensong. The choir of Christ Church cathedral will sing Evensong at 3.30pm in St John the Baptist’s church, Drumcondra and the service will include the re–dedication and ecumenical blessing of the restored holy well of St John. In Christ Church cathedral, Dublin at 3.30pm there will be a Service of Celebration to honour the life of Fr John Sullivan SJ. There will be readings by students from Portora Royal School and Clongowes College, where Fr Sullivan was a pupil and members of staff will attend. The sermon will be given by the Archbishop of Dublin and there will be an address by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.
On Monday morning the Archbishop of Dublin will be at Runnymede Meadows, Surrey, for the celebrations to mark the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta. Dr Jackson’s predecessor, Henry of London, who was Archbishop of Dublin in 1215, was a signatory of the original charter.
The lunchtime recital in St Mary’s cathedral, Limerick on Wednesday will be given by pianist Stuart O’Sullivan who will play music by Beethoven and Chopin.
On Thursday, in St Patrick’s cathedral, Dublin, there will be a special Choral Evensong to commemorate the fallen of all nations at the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815. The service will be attended by members of the diplomatic corps of the nations that took part in the battle, and the preacher will be the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Richard Clarke.
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’