Timely Advice
Great shock and sadness on the passing of RTE’s Marian Finucane and at the early age of 69. Coming so soon after Gay Brynes death this must have rocked the radio listeners in all of Ireland. Her voice was such a joy to listen to as was her incisive interviewing. There have been so many deaths over the Christmas period, for us even two funerals in one day but saddest of all surely is to lose a young person. Two young boys, Eoin Hamill 13 and Cillian Draine just 11 lost their lives at the end of last week and it’s impossible to appreciate the despair of those families and there are many families going through the terrible trauma of loosing that special person. What can you say, there is no comfort just prayers.
Ongoing discussion as to why the robin has a red breast. This from Houston Marshall who always has his finger on the pulse.
“I learnt another explanation for Robin’s red breast. As Christ was dying on the cross the birds noticed he was thirsty as the Romans were only giving him vinegar to drink. The birds were giving Christ little drops of water from their beaks to slake his thirst. The Robin flew too close to the crown of thorns and stabbed his chest and stained his feathers blood red.”
CREDIT: LiamMcArdle.com
I had the great pleasure of taking part in last Wednesday’s BBC Radio 3 programme Sequence of Music and Readings for New Year’s Day from St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral in Armagh, being repeated this afternoon at 3 pm. As part of the city’s Charles Wood Festival this celebration is under the direction of BBC producer Richard Yarr. He’d gathered together The Ulster Orchestra and conductor David Hill, the Charles Wood Singers, The Most Reverend Eamon Martin Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland in whose magnificent cathedral we met and The Most Reverend Dr. Richard Clarke – and me, top left! The music and words reflected the New Year, the prayers and the hymns and my two poems, ‘Old and New Year Ditties’ by Christina Rossetti and ‘Ring Out, Wild Bells’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson were perfect for the occasion.
One verse reads: Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in the common love of good.
And the music soared up and round the vast auditorium where a congregation joined in the celebration.
Composer Charles Wood was born in Armagh City in 1866, and remembered as an Irish composer and teacher; at Cambridge his pupils included Ralph Vaughan Williams also Herbert Howells at the Royal College of Music. After an early life steeped in music and learning his craft, Wood became professor of music in the University of Cambridge and is chiefly remembered for his Anglican church music.
The setting in St. Patrick’s was imposing, the stained glass windows, pale marble and the vaulting terracotta ceiling. Spectacular is the Rood Screen of Carrara marble from Tuscany, oak, enamel and gold leaf, this was one of the most spectacular buildings I’ve visited recently, mostly and sadly because of funerals.
St. Brigid’s
Sitting in St. Brigid’s I was reminded of an article I wrote some years ago about the building of this unique church. An acre of land in leafy south Belfast 180,000 hand made bricks, an inspired architect and skilled bricklayers, mainly Thomas Doran and Joe Poland who enjoyed the mixing and matching, laying and layering and the knowledge yet to come of the awards that would result.
Saint Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church on Belfast’s Malone Road was built by Newry based construction firm Felix O’Hare and Company and architect Kennedy FitzGeralds Associates and was designed to seat 800, wooden pews of natural ash, stained glass windows taken from the original church on the site, gifts from Church of Ireland, Methodist and Presbyterian dominations, the altar amber and font in French limestone sculpted in Dublin. The Stations of the Cross are in slate carved in Cork, the Tabernacle, Paschal Candle and Cross in copper and bronze made by NI jewellers Steensons and additional stained glass created in Donegal with the pipe organ designed and built in Co Antrim.
Fortwilliam and Macory
The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest bought the Fortwilliam and Macrory Presbyterian Church on the Antrim Road where their last service was held just over a year ago. Sitting in the imposing building at the inaugural Latin Mass last month, the church seemed huge, built in the day when there was a growing and affluent population in North Belfast and when families travelled to morning and evening worship and pews were filled both downstairs and in the balcony. An impressive building inside and out, at one time the tallest spire in Belfast, polished woodwork and glowing stained glass windows.
And some have the ability to rise from the ashes as did St. Colmcille’s in Holywood where I attended Father Stephen McBrearty’s Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the perfect start to the real meaning of this special time. Congratulations to Stephen on being awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours for his work as chaplain within the Prison Service.
First Dromore
It’s been a month of church visits, as I say unfortunately mostly funerals and one of the most memorable was held in First Dromore Presbyterian Church, in contrast a rural church built in early 1900s, worshipers sitting in ‘boxes’ of pale wood each holding five or six people with a door at each end. More friendly, possibly because people knew each other outside of the church as well as inside and the visitor was absorbed into a warm and loving service in every way.
St. Anne’s Cathedral
Most recently I sat in St. Anne’s Cathedral at the same time as a funeral was happening in the tiny exquisite 15th century St, Nicholas’ Church in Denston, Suffolk. With friends we gathered to think and give thanks for the life of Derek Bailey who worked for many years in Ulster Television before leaving for an international career in television. An austere interior, the talking point surrounding St. Anne’s has been the 250 feet high Spire of Hope, light weight because of ‘soft’ foundations. Like many building in the Cathedral quarter, ‘Belfast sleech’ means soft mud, silt and sand. Interesting is the fact that you can stand at the end of the aisle and observe the ups and downs of the marble floor! You could be excused for getting that sinking feeling.
During such a concentration of church going, I’ve been struck by the variation of building we have to enjoy although as far as Sunday service is concerned many are shrinking in number certainly in Belfast. For instance the Antrim Road area alone Carlisle Memorial Methodist, once the largest downtown church, had ceased to be a place of worship by 1982 and is now ear marked as the home of the Ulster Orchestra. Across the road St. Enochs emptied and as you move up the Antrim Road, Duncairn Presbyterian is now an arts centre, McCrory Memorial, St. James’ have all closed their doors and most recently Cavehill Methodist has given notice that their final service will be held in October 2020.
Perhaps small is more beautiful these days although there is still a need for the glories of cathedrals.
The service from Armagh will be broadcast again on Radio 3’s Choral Evensong this afternoon at 3 p.m.
I hope you have a good week despite the dreadful news that seems to break every morning, I hope there will be a fund to help people in New South Wales and a resolution to the Middle East situation and a new more youthful assembly for us here. Who ever said One day at a time Sweet Jesus was right, make today count, achieve something however small, learn a new word and make someone smile.
