Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from 'The Irish Times'
Heritage Week
This year Heritage Week, throughout Europe, begins today (Saturday) and continues unti1 September. Many Church of Ireland cathedrals and parish churches will be open to the public and in some there will be special programmes of events.
There is a particularly ambitious programme in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, where there will be guided tours each day from Monday onwards and tours of the Minot Tower for which booking is essential. On Monday evening there will be a tour of the graves at 8 pm and on Tuesday a lunchtime talk on ‘Work in Progress’ by the cathedral architect, John Beauchamp. Dr Muriel McCarthy will give a talk on ‘Simony, Sacrilige and Perjury’ in Marsh’s Library on Wednesday at 1.15pm and at the same time on Thursday the Dean of St Patrick’s, Dr Robert MacCarthy, will give a tour of the cathedral and deanery. There will be organ recitals at 6.30 pm on Tuesday and Thursday.
Outside the city there will be daily tours of the medieval church of St Doulagh, Balgriffin, which is part of the Malahide group of parishes while on Tuesday evening in Coolock Library, Douglas Appleyard, who has written the history of Coolock parish, will give a lecture. On the same evening in Ballyfermot Library Bryan McMahon will speak on Richard Whately who was Archbishop of Dublin from 1831 to1863.
Tomorrow (Sunday) is Irish Walled Towns Day and in Derry, which has the most intact city walls in Ireland, the Dean of Derry , Dr William Morton, will host a garden party in the Deanery in aid of the Cathedral Restoration Fund. In the evening the Derry City Walls Conservation Plan will be launched in the former Palace of the Bishops of Derry in Bishop Street.
Another thriving branch of the heritage industry is a fascination with railways which is a particular preoccupation of the clergy. The Bishop of Cashel and Ossory, who is a noted railway buff, will travel through his dioceses by train on Wednesday and Thursday accompanied by his Diocesan Communications Officer, Herbie Sharman, another railway enthusiast. As well as providing a novel way for the bishop to be visible throughout his area of jurisdiction, the trip will raise funds for the Railway Children charity.
Tomorrow (Sunday) RTE will televise Sunday Worship with the Church of Ireland Hard Gospel Project. The 45 minute act of worship will be presented by the Revd Earl Storey, Director of the Hard Gospel Project, assisted by his two project officers, Stephen Dallas and Philip McKinley. The Revd Darren McCallig has begun work as the Church of Ireland Chaplain in Trinity College, Dublin, in succession to Dr Alan McCormack. Mr McCallig’s first service in the College Chapel will be tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 10.45 when he will preach at the Annual Graduate Reunion Ecumenical Service.
From Tuesday until Friday there will be a Bishop’s Bible Week in St Saviour’s Church, Dollingstown which is the newest church in the Diocese of Down and Dromore. Led by the Revd Ed Vaughan from Crinken Church, in the Diocese of Dublin, the event has been commended by the Bishop of Down and Dromore.
On Thursday evening in St Mary’s Church, Macosquin, the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, will institute the Revd Michael Roemmele, a former Chaplain to the Forces, to the incumbency of Camus-juxta-Bann.
This week Mrs Janet Maxwell, Head of Synod Services and Communications will be in Hong Kong for a meeting of the Provincial Secretaries of the Anglican Communion.