Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
New History of St Patrick’s Planned
Arrangements are being put in place to produce a new history of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. There has been no significant history of the cathedral since that of William Monck Mason which was published in 1820 and whilst there have been a number of subsequent guides and short accounts none has dealt adequately with the complexities of this most idiosyncratic institution.
The Diocese Dublin is unique in the Anglican Communion in having two medieval cathedrals, one of which, Christ Church, was monastic, and the other, St Patrick’s, which was secular. The much admired history of Christ Church, which was published by Four Courts Press in 2000, has provided some of the impetus for a new study of St Patrick’s and it seems likely also to provide a model.
The editors of the new history will be Canon John Crawford, vicar of the St Patrick’s Cathedral group of parishes, who possesses an unrivalled knowledge of the Church of Ireland in Dublin in the 19th century, and Dr Raymond Gillespie, from NUI-Maynooth, who has been described as ‘the most productive and innovative historian of religion in Ireland’. They are in the process of assembling a team of scholars to write the history and they expect this process to take five years.
A foretaste of this new scholarship will be available today (Saturday) at the 5th Medieval Dublin Symposium in Trinity College. Among the contributors will be Dr Michael O’Neill who will speak on “St Patrick’s Cathedral and its Prebendal Churches: Gothic Architectural Relationships’ and Professor Padraig O Riain who will present new research on the martyrology of Christ Church Cathedral. In St Michael’s Church. Athy, the Archbishop of Dublin will preach at the Girls Friendly Society Diocesan Festival Service.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the former rector of Rathdrum, the Revd Christopher Halliday will bring a group of American episcopalians to the Sung Eucharist in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. The Bishop of Tuam will be the preacher at the Cashel and Ossory Mothers’ Union Festival Service in St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny, while the Dean of Cashel, Dr Philip Knowles, will preach at the Flower Festival Service in Ballymena. In St Paul’s Church, Glenageary, the parish choir will sing Mozart’s Mass in C at the parish eucharist.
In St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, there will be a Choir Open Day, beginning at 2.30pm, which will provide a rare opportunity to watch the choir at work as it prepares for the afternoon service. All former choristers have been invited back to join the Cathedral Choir in singing Evensong.
On Tuesday the Bishop of Cork will preside at a clergy training day in the Palace. The topic will be the emotive one of suicide and will be facilitated by the National Suicide Research Foundation of which Bishop Colton is a director. In Taney Parish Centre there will be a concert by the Army No 1 Band, conducted by Comdt Mark Armstrong, with tenor Emmanuel Lawlor, in aid of the refurbishment of a Romanian orphanage which is to be undertaken by a parish team in July. Meanwhile in Monkstown parish church there will be a Musical Evening organized by the parish organist, Siobhan Kilkelly, in support of a visit by the choir to Tewkesbury Abbey in August.
The organ recital in St Patrick’s Cathedral on Wednesday evening will be given by Sarah Baldock, Assistant Director of Music in Winchester Cathedral, while on Friday there will be a special concert to raise funds for the Cathedral’s Choir’s forthcoming visit to St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast.