Today, St Columba’s Day will see the final brick being laid in a £3.6 million refurbishment of St Columb’s Cathedral in Londonderry.
The ceremony will be performed by the Chair of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board Mr. Howard Hastings and will take at the Cathedral Gates in London Street at 1pm.
The refurbishment of the oldest building within the Maiden City has been a remarkable journey for both the Cathedral as well as the funders who played such an important part in making it possible. Speaking as Chair of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board Howard Hastings said, “We are thrilled to be associated with the renewal of St Columb’s Cathedral. The Board recognized the quality and authenticity of this project and the contribution that it would make to tourism in the city”.
Mr Hastings reflected on how the Board had “identified the Walled City as a signature project” and that “St Columb’s Cathedral as one of the most ancient and historic buildings in the city has a key part to play in the story that is told to tourists”. He also looked forward to the role that the Cathedral would have when the city became the City of Culture for 2013.
With over 100,000 tourists passing through the doors of St Columb’s each year it is an important showcase for the rich history that the city has to tell. It was first consecrated in 1834 and has been part of the weave of history that has included the Siege in 1689. It is also closely associated with the famous hymn-writer Cecil Francis Alexander, forever known as the writer of There Is A Green Hill Far Away.
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board was one of the key funders for the work that has taken place. Talking of that work Dean William Morton said “We inherited a wonderfully historic building and will hand it on to future generations to enjoy. In doing so we recognize the role the Cathedral has in the life of our city today. We are deeply grateful to funders who have made so much of this work possible”.
A Service of Dedication and Thanksgiving will be held in the Cathedral tonight at 7.30pm. This will be attended by people from across the community and will include the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness as well as the Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment Arlene Foster.
To mark 9th June as a special day for St Columb’s the Northern Ireland Tourist Board has taken the unusual step of holding its Board Meeting in the city on that day. The Board will then witness the ceremonial laying of the final brick at the Cathedral Gates. As Howard Hastings said “This is a project that our Board is delighted to be associated with. The city has a great story to tell and this Cathedral has a wonderful part to play in telling it”.
St Columb’s Cathedral has one of the oldest Peals of Bells in Ireland. In honour of the Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication the bells will ring out across the city for one hour prior to the Service.