The Church of Ireland
News Briefing

CHURCH OF IRELAND NOTES
For Saturday 13th July 2002

From: The RCB Library
Email: RCB Library  

Dublin Cathedrals Exhibition

On Thursday evening the Dublin City Manager, Mr John Fitzgerald, will officially open an exhibition in the Dublin Civic Museum dedicated to Dublin's three cathedrals. Entitled "Three Steps to Heaven" the exhibition seeks to illustrate aspects of the history, liturgy, events and personalities associated with Christ Church, St Mary's Pro-Cathedral and St Patrick's.

The exhibition has been devised and curated by the staff of the Representative Church Body Library which is the Church of Ireland's principal reference library and archives. The archives of Christ Church and St Patrick's have largely been transferred to the Library and the exhibition draws on these important resources. The ready cooperation of the staff of the Pro-Cathedral has broadened the scope of the exhibition and archives and artifacts from Marlborough Street have added immeasurably to the display. Additional material from the Dublin Diocesan Archives and the Irish Architectural Archive is also included in the exhibition.

Among the personalities who are featured in the exhibition are Strongbow, Jonathan Swift, Archbishop Troy and Daniel O'Connell. Some of the events which are recalled are the first performance of Handel's Messiah, the foundation of the Knights of St Patrick and the funeral of Michael Collins. However, the exhibition is essentially an introduction and its principal function is to encourage visitors and native Dubliners alike to visit Dublin's cathedrals whether as tourists, worshippers or just to find a moment of peace and quiet in what is now a very busy city.

"Three Steps to Heaven" is in the Dublin Civic Museum, 58 South William Street (beside the Powerscourt Town House), Dublin 2 and is open 10.00-6.00, Tuesday to Saturday, and 11.00-2.00 on Sundays until mid-September. Admission is free.

Today (Saturday) the St. Peter's, Drogheda Annual Summer Fair takes place in the church grounds, starting at 2.00 p.m.

Tomorrow (Sunday) the choir of St Michael's Episcopal Church, Barrington, Illinois, will sing at the Eucharist in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, where the Choir of Christ Church, Groose Point, Michigan, will sing Evensong. On RTE Radio Sung Matins from the BCP will be broadcast at 10.45, when the preacher will be the Archdeacon of Dublin and rector of Glenageary, the Venerable Gordon Linney.

The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Walton Empey, will represent the Church of Ireland at the National Day of Commemoration and on Tuesday he will visit the Curragh. On Wednesday the Executive Committee of the Representative Church Body will meet in Church of Ireland House, Dublin.

The season of classical concerts in St Barrahane's Church, Castletownshend, begins on Thursday evening with a recital of Beethoven sonatas by John O'Connor (piano) and Eyal Kleff (violin), while in St Peter's Church, Bandon, there will be an recital by Raymond O'Donnell, Organist of Galway Cathedral.

On Friday the first International Aughrim Summer School begins in the Co. Galway village famous for the decisive Battle of Aughrim on 12 July 1691. The theme of the summer school is "Healing Wounded History" and among the sponsors of the event are Canon Trevor Sullivan, Rector of Aughrim, the Rt Revd Michael Mayes, Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe and the Most Revd John Kirby, Bishop of Clonfert. Among the speakers are Dr Raymond Gillespie the prolific historian of early modern Ireland who teaches in NUI-Maynooth, Dr Hugh Weir, a prominent lay man in the Church of Ireland from Co. Clare, and Ms Kathy Higgins from the Irish School of Ecumenics. Further details may be had from Sinead Flynn, The Old Rectory, Ahascragh, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway (tel. 04905-88607).

Christian Aid Ireland has launched an appeal to the Irish supporting churches to enable Christian Aid's partners in Southern Africa to respond the the growing food crisis there. More than ten million people in countries like Angola, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe are caught up in the current crisis and there are fears of a human disaster if action is not taken immediately.