Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Summer Activity in Cathedrals
The summer months can be testing times for cathedrals. Choirs and musicians, clergy and administrative staff need a holiday but visitor numbers can soar. As there is no significant state support for the maintenance of historic church buildings, most of which are in the care of the Church of Ireland, it is imperative that the doors remain open and that much needed income continues to be generated. So the needs of the summer worshipers and the cultural visitors need to be catered for.
An important component in this is music. Visiting choirs can enhance the liturgy and lunchtime and evening recitals do much to entertain visitors. In this context St Anne’s cathedral, Belfast, has announced its programme of visiting choirs for August beginning tomorrow (Sunday) with Musicus Amicos, founded in 2014 by a group of friends who sing occasionally in cathedrals and churches. They will be followed by Lux, a newly formed chamber choir of young singers from Northern Ireland, the Fitzwilliam Chapel Choir from Cambridge, Cantores Sancti Annae, a group of female voices who previously have sung in the cathedral’s choirs, and the choir of St Polycarp’s church, Finaghy.
In Dublin tomorrow (Sunday) the services in St Patrick’s cathedral will be sung by the choir of Roskilde Domkirke while in Christ Church cathedral the Christ Church Consort will sing at the 11am Eucharist. In St Mary’s cathedral, Limerick, on Wednesday there will be a lunchtime organ recital by Peter Barley who will play works by Buxtehude, Hassler, Tunder, Weir and Mathias.
Exhibitions also play an important part in entertaining and educating cathedral visitors. In Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, there is a standing exhibition of manuscripts and church plate in the Treasury. In addition to this a newly installed exhibition in the crypt to mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta has as its centre piece the Liber Niger of Christ Church which contains a copy of the text of the Great Charter.
Also, in the ambulatory there is an exhibition of modern icons which continues until September. In St Patrick’s cathedral, the ‘Lives Remembered’ exhibition, which explores the cathedral’s connections with World War I continues, and in the Irish Architectural Archive, in Merrion Square, the 150th anniversary of the Guinness restoration of St Patrick’s is featured in an exhibition of architectural drawings and related images from the collections of the cathedral and the Representative Church Body Library.
St Columb’s cathedral, Derry, has a special exhibition on the life of Frederick Augustus Hervey, Bishop of Derry from 1768, his architectural ambitions and collections of artwork, but he was also involved with Catholic relief, tithe reform and the Volunteer movement.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the 2015 Carleton Summer School will open with a recital and lecture in St Macartan’s cathedral, Clogher. Harpist, Kathleen Loughnane, from Galway, will give the recital and the lecturer will be Fr Partick Ryan, author of a 2014 biography of the infamous Miler Magrath, Bishop of Clogher from 1570 until 1571 whose portrait, from the Clogher diocesan collection, adorns the cover of the book – Archbishop Miler Magrath: the enigmna of Cashel.
On Wednesday evening at 8pm there will be a concert by Koln Philarmonia in Old St Mary’s church, Clonmel, and on Friday at lunchtime Eoin Hynes (tenor), Eoin Flood and Morgan Buckley (guitars) will give a recital of lieder and French and English song in Sandford parish church, Ranelagh.
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’