As befits its responsibilities for a significant part of the national heritage the Church of Ireland will play a part in the celebration of National Heritage Week which begins today (Saturday) and continues until 28 August. The C of I Correspondent in today’s Irish Times presents this overview.
In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin there will be guided tours each day at 1.15pm focusing on the cathedral (Dr Kenneth Milne), its day to day life (Geoffrey McMaster), music (Sue Hemmens), manuscripts (Dr Raymond Refaussé) and architecture (Paul Arnold and Dr Michael O’Neill). Meanwhile in St Patrick’s Cathedral there will be lunchtime lectures on Monday, Wednesday and Friday by Albert Fenton (Jonathan Swift), Canon Charles Mullen (literary life) and Patrick Lynch (the Royal British Legion in Ireland) while on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday there will be costumed soldiers re-enacting the feud between the Earls of Ormond and Kildare who were reconciled by ‘chancing their arms’ though the ‘Door of Reconciliation’ which is on display in the north transept.
This afternoon (Saturday) and tomorrow afternoon (Sunday) there will be guided tours of St Doulagh’s medieval church, Malahide Road, Balgriffen, and on Wednesday evening at 8pm there will be a lecture on the history of the church by Dr Rachel Moss. On Friday and Saturday afternoons in the mid-19th century St Patrick’s Church, Dalkey, there will be an exhibition of photographs and records relating to the construction of the building.
On Monday afternoon local historian, Peader O’Dowd, will lead a tour of St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, Galway , the largest Irish medieval church in continuous use.
In Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford, at lunchtime, local historian, Julian Walton, will talk about cathedral artefacts on Tuesday and on Thursday Ken Wigham will talk about aspects of he cathedral’s architecture. Both talks will be accompanied by improvisations by the cathedral’s organist, Eric Sweeny
On Tuesday evening at 7pm in Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street, the Representative Church Body Library will host a lecture by Ronnie Wallace on ‘The Vestry Records of the Parish of St Bride, Dublin 1662-1742′. Mr Wallace’s edition of the St Bride’s vestry records will be published later in the autumn by Four Courts Press.
In Kilkenny on Wednesday evening the Revd Dr Adrian Empey will speak about ‘Notable Ossory Bishops’ in St Canice’s Cathedral.
On Thursday evening at 7.30pm the Gaudete Singers will give a free concert in St Audeon’s Church, Dublin, for Heritage Week.