Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
History for the Holidays
As Canon John Crawford and Dr Raymond Gillespie sagely observed in their bibliography of recent writing on the Church of Ireland and its history, which appeared in the spring 2003 issue of Search, “History has always been closely bound up with the Church of Ireland’s understanding of itself and its theology”. For those for whom the onset of the summer holidays offers an opportunity to read up on the Church of Ireland there is much to be learnt through recent publications on church history.
Pre-eminent in this respect is Toby Barnard’s A New Anatomy of Ireland. The Irish Protestants, 1649-1770 (Yale University Press). This is an astonishingly rich compendium of information on and analysis of all levels of protestant society from the aristocracy to the lower orders with, in particular, much of interest about the clergy. Yet the cover illustration of an 18th century picnic hints not only at a wealth of detail but at a sureness of understanding and a lightness of touch which Dr Barnard employs to great effect.
Clergy also feature largely in Muriel McCarthy’s new edition of Marsh’s Library. All Graduates and Gentlemen (Four Courts Press) and for those who are interested in book collecting or who want to learn more about one of Dublin’s more enduring institutions this will be a rewarding read.
The development of the Church of Ireland in Belfast is one of the important themes of the most recent fascicule of the Royal Irish Academy’s Historic Towns Atlas. Written by Raymond Gillespie and Stephen Royle this fascicule tells the story of the development of the city up to 1840 and is an invaluable source for those who need quick information on ecclesiastical buildings.
Church buildings are also the topic of Sam Hutchison’s Towers, Spires & Pinnacles. A History of the Cathedrals and Churches of the Church of Ireland (Wordwell). Arising out of a project to photograph churches for the Representative Church Body Library, this is a beautifully illustrated guide to church buildings from the middle ages to the 20th century and a perfect companion for a tour of Ireland.
One of the churches which Sam Hutchison illustrates, St Doulough’s, Balgriffin, near Malahide, is re-appraised by the architectural historian, Rachel Moss, in an article in the current issue of Irish Arts Review, itself an agreeable companion for a sunny summer afternoon.
History, in a more interactive form, is the business of the Aughrim Summer School with which the Rector of Aughrim, Canon Trevor Sullivan is closely associated. Among the participants will be the former headmistress of Rathdown School, Miss Stella Mew, who will speak on “Ireland’s Literary Debt to Lady Gregory”, and publisher and historian Dr Hugh Weir. The theme of this year’s conference, which begins on Thursday, is “Discussing Traditions – Understanding Differences”.
This evening (Saturday) the first in a series of summer concerts will be held in the Church of the Ascension, Timoleague, where there will be a Spanish classical guitar recital, while in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, at 8pm, there will be a rare opportunity to hear the internationally-renowned Hungarian Radio Children’s Choir who are in Dublin to participate in a series of workshops during the week. On Monday the Mark Twain Chorale from Missouri will sing in St Mary’s Church, Killarney, and on Tuesday in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, there will be a lunchtime concert by the Santa Rosa High School Choir form California.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the services in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, will be sung by the Choir of Keble College, Oxford.
On Wednesday the annual Service of Thanksgiving and Gift Day of the Church’s Ministry of Healing will be held in St George and St Thomas’ Church, Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin, where the preacher will be Canon Raymond Smith, formerly of CMSI. The Robert Emmett Commemoration Service at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, will take place on Sunday 13 July at 5pm, when the address will be given by Dr Patrick Geoghegan of Trinity College Dublin.