Diocesan News01 Dec 15

Bangor Abbey and Ballyholme Parish at heart of Columbanus 1400 Festival

The Columbanus 1400th anniversary celebrations in Bangor reached their climax over the weekend of 20–22 November in a full programme organised jointly between the Friends of Columbanus, Ards and North Down Council, and the local churches.

St Columbanus, Ballyholme, was the natural venue for two lectures on the Saturday, both supported by a large number of pilgrims from all over Ireland. The first lecture was a consideration of Columbanus’s run–ins with some of early Europe’s temporal powers by Dr Immo Warntjes from Queen’s University School of History and Anthropology.

The second was the launch of a book charting a very personal journey made by Belfast Methodist Minister Dr Barry Sloane (pictured below right) who spent a number of months hitch–hiking, so far as was possible, in Columbanus’ actual footsteps down through France, Germany and Italy.

Music also featured with the highlight event being held in the Abbey with a presentation of, ‘To find a heathen place and sound a bell’. Telling the story of Fiachra and Columbanus in a haunting weave of voices and music it featured the work of Kerrie Hardy one of Ireland’s leading poets who grew up in Bangor.

A festival service in the Abbey concluded the weekend. Led by the Rector, Canon Ronnie Nesbitt, and including local church leaders and the Bangor Ladies’ Choir it celebrated Bangor, ‘Light of the world’. Former Archbishop of Armagh, Lord Eames, was the preacher stressing the call of Columbanus to be lights in the dark places of the world today and linking his thoughts to recent events in France.

In the New Year a major art work will be unveiled in the grounds of the Abbey based on the Bangor Bell, a ninth century bronze bell housed in North Down Museum.

Pictured above: L to R Canon Joseph Gunn (St Comgall’s, Bangor) Bishop Tony Farquhar (Down and Connor) Canon Ronnie Nesbitt (Bangor Abbey) Revd Mairisine Standfield (1st Presbyterian, Bangor) Lord Eames, Canon Simon Doogan (St Columbanus) Revd Andrew Campbell (Bangor Abbey).