Added on 08/12/2012

Saturday 8 December 2012

Festive Concerts
An array of concerts and related musical events heralding the arrival of Christmas have been scheduled for cathedrals and churches throughout the country in the forthcoming week.

This evening (Saturday) Essential – a Christmas event with a twist – will take place in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. Run by 3Rock Youth, Essential will feature the internationally renowned band, Rend Collective Experiment, the communicator Greg Fromholz, DJ Sam Stott, MC Susie Keane, shorts films, intelligent lighting and a lot of fun. It’s free, runs from 7.30 to 9pm and is a secondary student and up event only.

Tomorrow (Sunday) at 4pm there will be a Candlelight Service of Carols in St Doulagh’s medieval church, Balgriffin. In Trim, the Diocesan Carol Service will be held in St Patrick’s cathedral at 7pm and at the same time St Macartin’s cathedral, Enniskillen, will host a Community Carol Service, while in St Werburg’s church, Dublin there will be Advent Carols by Candlelight in aid of the church restoration fund. At 7.30pm St George’s church, Balbriggan, will host a festive concert with the Fingal Chamber Choir.

In Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, on Tuesday at lunchtime the cathedral Girls’ Choir will sing at a Carol Service in aid of Peata Therapy Dogs. In the evening at 8pm in St Michael’s church, Limerick, ‘The Light of Christmas’ will feature vocalists Helen Houlihan and Owen Gilhooly accompanied by Irina Dernova (organ & piano) and Sheila Allen (clarinet).

On Wednesday there will be a PSNI Carol Service in St Columb’s cathedral, Derry, and in Dublin on Thursday evening at 8pm the Christ Church cathedral choir will sing a Christmas Concert. The Discovery Gospel Choir will anticipate Christmas with a concert in St George & St Thomas’ church, Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin at 7.30pm on Friday and the following Saturday.

Finally, next Saturday, 15 December, the Diocesan Council for Mission and the Archdiocese Office for Evangelisation & Ecumenism will present ecumenical carol singing on the steps of Dublin’s Mansion House. Music will come from by St. Ultan’s National School & Orchestra, the Cherry Orchard Community Singers and traditional musician Paddy Moloney. Seasonal readings will be given by the Lord Mayor, Ronan Johnston (Spirit Radio) and Joy Gordon (Diocesan President of the Mothers’ Union).

This afternoon (Saturday) at 3pm in All Hallows College, Dublin, the Bishop of Europe, the Rt Revd Geoffrey Rowell, representing the Archbishop of Canterbury, will deliver the annual Christmas Truce Lecture. Bishop Rowell will also be the preacher at the Sung Eucharist in Christ Church cathedral tomorrow (Sunday) morning.

Tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 10.45 am RTE will broadcast Parish Communion from the Leighlin Union of parishes where the celebrant and preacher will be the Very Revd Tom Gordon and at 11am RTE will televise an Advent Eucharist from the Wexford & Kilscoran union of parishes with the Revd Arthur Minion and the Revd Nicola Halford. In the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, the Ombudsman and Information Commissioner, Ms Emily O’Reilly, will speak as part of the ‘Soul Sisters’ series of addresses at the Choral Eucharist at 10.45 am.

On Tuesday evening at 7.30pm in the Knox Hall, Monkstown, Co. Dublin, RTE sports presenter, Bill O’Herlihy will launch ‘Curious Cargo’ an account of travel as a passenger on freighters to the West Indies, South and Central America and the Mediterranean, by retired clergyman, Revd Patrick Semple.

In St Mary’s church, Bagenalstown on Friday evening the Bishop of Cashel & Ossory will institute the Revd Kevin Ronné as rector of the Dunleckney group of parishes.

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’