Irish news – 14th November

New Christian Heritage Trail in Londonderry

Londonderry Sentinel – Ilex, the urban regeneration company for Londonderry, is assisting the city’s four main churches to develop a new Christian Heritage Trail.

The Churches Trust Ltd was awarded £255,000 under the City of Culture Capital Fund to develop a trail linking Carlisle Road Methodist Church, St Augustine’s Church of Ireland(the site of St Colmcille’s 6th Century Monastery), Long Tower Catholic Church and the First Derry Presbyterian Church with the site of St Brecan’s Monastery at St Columb’s Park.

Launched yesterday, the trail which is believed to be the original Pilgrim’s Trail route, will start at St Columb’s Park, continue through Ebrington Square and the Peace Bridge and will lead to the Walled City. Along the way the path will be marked by the thoughts and reflections of 6th and 7th century Christian ancestors alongside contemporary messages of reflection from city residents. New seating and public artworks will also be installed as part of the project.

In a joint statement the Church Leaders said: “As Christian churches we are delighted to be involved in the project and have no doubt the impact it will have in contributing to positive community relations in the City.

“We wish to commend the Churches Trust for its vision and leadership in bringing the project to fruition and would encourage all of our citizens to visit the Trail once it is completed.”

Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland said: “I am pleased that my Department has been able to provide financial support for this worthwhile project. It is a fine example of how Londonderry can link its history to the vibrant modern city that it has become. The messages of reflection will provide points of interest for those moving through the city for the events of the UK City of Culture 2013.”

Ilex’s Cultural Broker, Caoimhin Corrigan, said: “This new Christian Heritage Trail will be a valuable addition in helping to promote the world-class heritage of this city.

“As well as having a strong educational dimension, it marks out another step in improving our visitor experience for all those who will visit the city in 2013 and beyond.

“In establishing the link from St. Brecan’s through to the Walled City, it will also afford local people the opportunity to see their city anew.”

Churches Trust Ltd Project Co-ordinator, and former Chief Executive, Liam Milligan said: “The key objective for the project is to utilize the unifying figure of our Patron Saint and our associated rich Christian heritage to contribute to a number of important outcomes. This includes bringing our communities together through the symbolic linking of East and West banks, linking the past with the present and providing an opportunity to reflect and heal the division and hurt in our community. It will provide an opportunity to discover our diverse Christian Heritage and the things we have in common. The project will also contribute to the shared space agenda through the cultural animation of the public realm and key historic Christian sites.”

Armagh Cathedral recital

Dromore Leader – THE programme of organ recitals will continue on Sunday November 18 2012 at 4.15pm in St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh when the organist will be Dr Stephen Timpany.

Following preliminary organ lessons with Mr Harry Anderson in Banbridge, Stephen Timpany studied for seven years with Canon Martin White, one of the Cathedral’s former organists.

Stephen has been Organist in Holy Trinity Parish Church, Banbridge for over 20 years and Head of Music at Glastry College on the Ards Peninsula. When his musical commitments allow, Stephen is also a Gentleman of the Cathedral Choir in Armagh.

Stephen’s musical interests include Baroque and Romantic organ music, improvisation, Anglican cathedral music and the training of young voices. He is an Associate of the Royal College of Organists and is currently Vice-President of the Ulster Society of Organists and Choirmasters.

The choice of music for this next organ recital will include the Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 538 by J S Bach, Extracts from Water Music by Handel, Andantino by Bedard and the Prelude, Fugue and Variation Op 18 by Franck.

Admission is free to the organ recital, which will last approximately 45 minutes. There will be a retiring collection for the further endowment of the Archbishop of Armagh’s Choir Fund.

Mr Theo Saunders, the Cathedral Organist and Master of the Choristers, said, “I am pleased to report that the two previous organ recitals have raised over £500 for the Choir Fund. This money will be used to build up the Fund’s capital resources, thus protecting the Choir’s long-term future.”

New book rich in church history

News Letter – A new multi-authored publication produced by the Ulster Historic Churches Trust was launched in Belfast and Dublin this week.

Former Church of Ireland primate the Rev Alan Harper conducted the Belfast launch.

Primrose Wilson, the Trust chairman, said: “Ireland’s ecclesiastical buildings are part of the backdrop and fabric of our lives, a legacy of the vision of our ancestors.

“Fortunately, the majority of our churches remain in use as places of worship and as ecclesiastical buildings part of the backdrop and fabric of our lives, a legacy of the vision of our ancestors.

“They are places of worship, well-loved and respected in our communities.

“However, if instead of becoming a decaying object of pity, a sustainable new use can be found for these churches that may well breathe new life into the community of which it forms a part.

“The Trust hopes that this publication will raise awareness of the issues and stimulate further debate and discussion.”

The book, ‘New Life for Churches in Ireland – Good Practice in Conversion and Reuse’, provides 17 well-illustrated case studies on completed projects, from Elmwood Hall in Belfast to Kilmainham Congregational Church in Dublin.

New Life for Churches in Ireland – Good Practice in Conversion and Reuse, published 144 pages by the Ulster Historic Churches Trust, edited by Paul Harron, available in both hardback and paperback, priced £18 and £12 respectively.

Galway interest in C of I records

Galway Advertiser – The Western Family History Association will host a talk entitled ‘Church of Ireland Records and Family History Research’ at its next meeting, which will take place in the Claregalway Hotel on Wednesday November 14 at 8.15pm.

The speaker at next week’s event will be Rev Anthony Previte, Oughterard, retired Dean of the Archdiocese of Tuam.

Church records offer a wealth of information for those researching their family history. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Church of Ireland was the Established Church in Ireland and the largest of the Protestant Churches.

In compiling family history, people are confronted by an array of administrative and legal terminology to which they may not be accustomed. Some of the terms may be difficult to decipher; words such as glebe, impropriate, and at will. So points of clarification will be central to the discussion at the meeting.

Civil records were not formally commenced until 1864. Prior to 1864, church records, parish registers, and land surveys conducted for tax purposes are by far the most significant sources of information available for family history and genealogical research. These resources are used as substitutes for the volumes of census data lost in the Four Courts fires in 1922. However the quality and significance of the information in these historical documents will not be realised if the phraseology in the registers, some including Latin, is not understood or interpreted properly. New members are welcome. For more details email info@wfha.info