Soundboard No. 32 - Church Music Dublin

SOUNDBOARD
DECEMBER 2014 1
SOUNDBOARD
CHURCH MUSIC AND MUSICIANS
THE MAGAZINE OF CHURCH MUSIC DUBLIN
▪
Giving worship a vibrant voice through music
Dean Dermot Dunne welcomes the choir before Evensong. Photo: Al Craig
A Diocesan Choral Evensong
On Sunday 23 November, as part of its diocesan outreach programme, Christ
Church Cathedral invited parish church choirs to sing Evensong with the
cathedral choir. 60 people from all parts of the dioceses responded. Directed by
Ian Keatley, cathedral director of music, the entire choral group rehearsed
before Evensong and the liturgy was then celebrated in the cathedral nave. The
seating was arranged in collegiate style for the occasion. During the service,
Ricky Rountree, Archdeacon of Glendalough, presented certificates to church
music students who had progressed satisfactorily in the Archbishop’s Certificate
in Church Music course.
Music at Evensong: Hymns, ‘St Patrick’s Breastplate’ (arr. Stanford) and ‘Christ
triumphant, ever reigning’. Psalm 93 (chant Macfarren in C). Anthem: ‘For the
beauty of the earth’ (John Rutter). George Dyson’s Evening Service in D and the
Richard Ayleward Responses were sung by the cathedral choir alone.
ISSUE 32 DECEMBER 2014
On her retirement as Director of Music
at
Castleknock
Parish
Church,
Maedhbh Abayawickrema receives a
presentation
from
Canon
Paul
Houston.
Peregryne, the small choral group
established in Vienna in 2009,
specialising in late Middle English
repertoire, will sing three times in
Dublin during the week before
Christmas. Sunday 14 December at
5pm;
Friday 19 December at
5.30pm
and on Sunday
21
December at 3pm. Full details on
page 3.
In this issue
Vacancies
Organ Scholar, 2015-16 at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. Closing date 7 January
2015. Information from: Stuart Nicholson, Organist and Master of the Choristers,
[email protected]
Organist and choir director: Castleknock Parish Church, with Clonsilla. Information
from Canon Paul Houston [email protected] and on CMD website
Pay your Soundboard subscription online
Subscriptions for 2015 can be paid now
€15 or £13 (3 issues throughout the year)
Use your debit or credit card and avoid cheque and postage charges
Go to www.churchmusicdublin.org/payment
LIVING WORSHIP 2015… 2
TRAINING AND INFORMATION
for church musicians … 2
SUMMER SCHOOL 2015 ... 3
SIMPLIFIED HYMN TUNE … 4
TALENT IN PARISH CHURCHES … 6
OFFICE HYMNS … 7
ORGAN BUILDERS AT WORK … 8
2 SOUNDBOARD DECEMBER 2014
Living Worship 2015
This popular annual course will be held on the mornings of Saturdays
17, 24 and 31 January at The Mageough, Cowper Road, Rathmines,
beside the Luas tram stop. Thanks and Praise, to be published in May,
will feature prominently.
On 17 January, Adrienne Galligan will discuss options for A Service of the
Word and All-Age Worship. Jacqueline Mullen will provide examples of
appropriate music, particularly from Thanks and Praise.
On 24 January, Gerald Field, Dean of Cashel Cathedral and Secretary of
the Liturgical Advisory Committtee, will discuss Morning and Evening
Prayer, their structure and the use of music. David O’Shea will discuss
ways of singing the Canticles with particular reference to Thanks and
Praise. This session promises to be a lively discussion about our Anglican
worship heritage and how we may continue to make it relevant.
The final session on 31 January will be led by Sandra Pragnell, Dean of St
Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick, and Derek Verso, director of music at St Paul’s
Church, Glenageary. They will talk about the use of music at the Eucharist
in parish churches, and Sandra will consider how the use of space and
symbols have an influential impact on how Christians worship.
Further details about Living Worship are on the CMD website:
www.churchmusicdublin.org
Training videos
Two new training videos were added to our website recently and to
YouTube. The videos aim to make ongoing music education available to
everyone. In Essential Hymn Playing 1 and Essential Hymn Playing 2, David
Adams discusses hymn playing, the mainstay of any church organist’s
Sunday repertoire. The first video covers registration, tempo, suitable play
overs and ways to encourage congregational singing. The second contains
vital information for those embarking on hymn playing on the organ.
The Essential Organ Playing videos, and the earlier video Music, Eucharist &
You are on our website. They also are on the Church Music Dublin channel
on YouTube.
New faces on the Church Music Dublin Executive
Adrienne Galligan has been rector of Crumlin and Chapelizod parishes
since 2008. She will be instituted as Rector of Rathfarnham parish in
January.
Jack Kinkead is priest-assistant in Taney Parish, Dublin.
Raymond Russell is organist and choir director at Monkstown Parish
Church.
David O’Shea is organist and choir director at Sandford Church with St
Philip’s, Milltown.
Thanks and Praise
The supplement to Church Hymnal, to
be titled Thanks and Praise, is on track
to be launched at General Synod in
May 2015. Following consultations with
various companies, Hymns Ancient and
Modern Ltd have been engaged to
produce the supplement. Proofreading by the group appointed by the
Liturgical Advisory Committee (LAC)
started in October. A 15% discount for
pre-publication bulk orders will be
available. A number of choirs and
choral groups throughout Ireland have
committed to recording items and it is
hoped that the recordings will be
available concurrent with publication.
Let’s see you!
For future issues, we need good
images of people singing - something
happening, movement, people
enjoying themselves, human interest ….
In brief, images that reflect the
singing church in action.
And we’d like to hear the stories
behind them too, so do write us little
snippets whenever you do something
interesting. More formal choir photos
are welcome too, though we use them
only sparingly.
We’re always happy to receive things.
[email protected]
Deputy organists
If you are on the deputy organist list,
be sure to let us know when your
contact details change. We receive
occasional advice that the contact
numbers are incorrect or that organists
are no longer available. To view the list,
go to
www.churchmusicdublin.org/deputy
Remuneration guidelines
The guidelines and recommendations
are on the website. The suggested
rates continue at the 2009 level. The
guidelines are published jointly by
Church Music Dublin and the Advisory
Committee on Church Music of the
Roman Catholic bishops.
Evensong commences at Christ Church Cathedral, 23 November. Photo: Al Craig
SOUNDBOARD
DECEMBER 2014 3
Archbishop of Dublin’s
Certificate in Church Music
This three-year course covers the skills needed by the
church musician. It includes individual organ tuition, group
sessions (Living Worship) on the interface between music
and liturgy, and occasional modules on choir training and
getting people to sing. Students commit to one year at a
time and the cost is shared by the student, the sponsoring
parish and the diocese. Sponsoring parishes also commit to
involving the student actively in the parish’s worship and
taking an ongoing interest in their studies. In Year 3,
students are expected to spend six weeks as interns in a
designated church, under the supervision of the resident
organist.
There also is a one-year Foundation Course, focussing on
basic organ playing. Students may progress to the ACCM if
they wish, and, in some cases, may be given exemption
from Year 1.
Exam Results, May 2014:
Year 3: Matthew Breen, Taney (Honours);
Stephanie Maxwell, Clontarf, (Honours);
Joseph Bradley, Pass;
Year 2: Emma Galloway, Waterford Parishes (Pass).
For 2014-15, two students have signed up for the
Foundation Course and six students commenced Year 1 of
the ACCM.
One of the students, Thomas Maxwell, sponsored by Taney
parish, achieved first place in the Junior Category at the
2014 Northern Ireland International Organ Competition.
Congratulations!
Peregryne
is a small choral ensemble established in Vienna
in 2009 that specialises in late Middle English repertoire. Its
membership has drawn together musicians from Ireland, England,
France, Austria, Germany, Denmark and Korea. The group has
performed in Dublin, Graz, Lucerne and Vienna and, more recently,
has concentrated on music of the 15th and 16th centuries,
performed as part of the monastic office of Compline in churches
and cathedrals around Dublin. The name Peregryne, ultimately
finds its origins in the Latin ‘peregrinus’, meaning foreign or exotic,
as the Irish monks or ‘peregrinatio’ must have appeared,
wandering throughout Europe and beyond.
2015 Summer School
at Maynooth College
For many years, the Irish Church Music Association
has held a Summer School for parish musicians.
We are delighted to announce that in 2015 the
Summer School will be organised in association
with Church Music Dublin, from 2nd to 5th July
at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth.
The training needs and the challenges are similar
whether parish musicians work in Church of
Ireland or Roman Catholic parishes, so to join
forces for a summer school is a sensible and
significant development. The programme will be
planned jointly by both organisations. Worship
during the three-day event will represent the
liturgies of both faith traditions.
The team of tutors will include Andrew Reid,
director of the Royal School of Church Music.
Andrew has visited Ireland from time to time and
RSCM affiliates who have experienced him at
work will want to do so again.
The summer school is designed as a residential
event, starting mid-morning on Thursday and
ending after lunch on Sunday. The social aspect is
one of its attractive features. However, the event
fee structure will also cater for those who wish to
participate on a daily basis.
Watch out for further information
on the CMD and ICMA websites.
Appropriate to Advent, Peregryne will sing a week of music
reflecting on the mother of Jesus
from Sunday 14 to 21 December,
including four rarely-heard Salve Reginas.
Sunday 14 December, 5 pm, Compline in Whitefriar Street
Church. Salve Regina à 4 by Josquin de Prez (c. 1450/5-1521)
and Salve Regina by William Cornysh, senior (c. 1430-1502).
Friday 19 December, 5.30 pm, Compline in mediaeval St
Audoen’s (C of I), Cornmarket. Salve Regina à 5 by Josquin
de Prez and Salve Regina by John Browne (fl.c. 1490).
Sunday 21 December, 3 pm in St Saviour’s, Dominick
Street. Reflection: Salve Regina in words and music, with
readings led by the Dominick Street community. Salve Regina
by John Browne, Salve Regina à 5 by Josquin de Prez and
Salve Regina by William Cornysh, senior.
www.facebook.com/Peregryne
Above: Archdeacon Rountree presents Stephanie
Maxwell with her ACCM certificate on 23 November
4 SOUNDBOARD DECEMBER 2014
Music Fellowship
for Tyrone cleric
The Revd Peter Thompson, rector of Castlecaulfield and
Donaghmore, last May became the first Irish person and also
the first cleric to be awarded the Fellowship of the Guild of
Church Musicians by examination. He joins a distinguished
company of musicians from England, Italy, Canada and
Australia who have been successful in the demanding series
of examinations. A postgraduate qualification, the fellowship
is awarded by the Archbishops of Canterbury and
Westminster, on whose behalf the Guild administers the
examinations. The diploma was presented by the Right Revd
David Thomson, acting bishop of St Edmundsbury and
Ipswich, at a recent award ceremony which took place during
Evensong in St Edmundsbury Cathedral. Peter is pictured
with John Ewington, General Secretary of the Guild who was
delivering the citation, Dame Mary Archer, President of the
Guild, and Bishop Thomson.
Simplified hymn accompaniments
We continue to upload simplified hymn accompaniments to the CMD website. For Christmas, simplified
arrangements of the tunes Mendelssohn (Hark! the herald angels sing), The holly and the ivy and Stille nacht are
already available. Here is an arrangement of When the crimson sun had set. Do let us know which tunes you
would like to see in future editions.
SOUNDBOARD
RIAM church
music syllabus
A welcome development is the inclusion of a
Church Music strand in the Royal Irish Academy
of Music’s Local Centre Syllabus for 2015-18.
Church Music Dublin has been approached on
many occasions by individuals who are interested
in gaining a church music qualification but who,
for various reasons, feel unable to commit to our
training schemes. With such people in mind, over
the past two years we have discussed with the
RIAM the possibility of including church music
options within their education programme. The
proposal was received enthusiastically by RIAM
Director, Deborah Kelleher and Chief Examiner,
Lorna Horan, and a syllabus was drawn up in
discussion with Church Music Dublin.
Two grades are available: Grade Eight in Church
Music and Senior Certificate in Church Music,
covering organ music, hymn and psalm
accompaniment, harmonisation, and
transposition. Improvisation is an additional
requirement for Senior Certificate.
These examinations are a perfect follow on for
anyone who has completed the ACCM or who
wishes to present their skills for assessment.
Church Music Dublin is committed to excellence
in music in worship and believes that every
opportunity should be taken to hone one’s
musical skills further.
The Local Centre Examinations operate
countrywide and reflect an Irish institution
meeting a defined need. Continuation of the
Church Music strand after 2018 will depend on
the uptake over the next three years. We
encourage students and tutors alike to consider
the benefits of these examinations, not only to
themselves but to others who will follow behind
them.
MUSICIANS ON THE MOVE
Nathan Barrett, music group co-ordinator at St
Paul’s Church, Glenageary and junior choir director
at Whitechurch Parish Church. Joseph Bradley,
organist, Terenure College chapel. Róisín
Burbridge, organ scholar, Monkstown Parish
Church. Robbie Carroll, organ scholar, St Mary’s
Pro-Cathedral. Caroline Cutliffe, organist, Our
Lady of Victories Church, Ballymun Road. Cathal
Killeen, St Mary’s Church, Blessington. John
Lindsay, Killiskey Parish Church. Donna Magee,
Director of Music, All Saints Church, Raheny.
Chapel of Trinity College Dublin: Eleanor JonesMcAuley, conductor; Paul McDonagh-Forde, organ
scholar. Maedhbh Abayawickrema has retired as
director of music at Castleknock Parish Church.
David Grealy, former assistant organist, St
Bartholomew’s Church, has moved to Köln,
Germany on an organ scholarship.
DECEMBER 2014 5
Talking to David O’Shea
David O’Shea is organist and choir director at Sandford Church
and St Philip’s Milltown, and recently joined the Church Music
Dublin Executive. He spent the 2013-14 academic year in
Cambridge and David McConnell asks him about this.
David, you have recently returned to Dublin after spending nine
months at Cambridge University. Tell me a bit about what you
were doing there.
I completed an MMus degree in Choral Studies, which was a
semi-academic, semi-practical course designed to give choral
directors training in different aspects of their work. On the
course we studied practical things such as conducting and
rehearsal technique, vocal health and training, and working
with different types of singers and choral groups, as well as
studying the history of choral music, its theological and
liturgical contexts and performance practice, alongside topics
such as techniques for editing music. In addition to the course,
I also studied voice, organ and harpsichord, sang as a member
of Selwyn College chapel choir and played continuo with the
Cambridge University Collegium Musicum (the University
period instrument ensemble).
What were the highlights?
Singing with Selwyn chapel choir was a particular highlight: I
had the opportunity to assist with rehearsals and work closely
with director Sarah MacDonald and sing regularly with a group
of really excellent musicians. During the course I also had the
opportunity to observe and work with such luminaries as
Stephen Cleobury and Tim Brown, which was a real eyeopening experience. Most of all, it was wonderful to spend a
year living in such a beautiful place, filled with such an
abundance of top-class music-making, not to mention Pimm’s,
punting and May Balls!
Did you feel inclined to stay in England and find work there?
I did consider it and investigated several possibilities but, when
weighing things up, I realised that I had so much to lose if I
were to leave Dublin permanently. During the year I returned
to Ireland frequently to perform and so, between the promise
of work and a stable income in Dublin as well as my plans for
further study, I think I made the right choice. However, I have
made lots of contacts in England which I hope to maintain in
the future.
And what’s on your plate now?
Aside from resuming my work as Director of Music at Sandford
and St Philip's, performing in concerts, teaching, and directing
choirs, I have recently begun a PhD at TCD, looking into the
history of music at the Chapel Royal, Dublin Castle.
Duets for Harp
In addition to her work as non-stipendiary priest at
Sandford and Milltown, Anne-Marie O'Farrell is of
course a very active harpist and composer. She recently
released a CD of harp duets with Cormac de Barra
entitled 'Duopoly'. The album features a wide variety of
new arrangements in different styles and shows off the
breadth of colours of the harp. The CD is available from
www.annemarieofarrell.com.
6 SOUNDBOARD DECEMBER 2014
Ceol.jam
Ceol.jam was set up early in 2014 by Donna Magee to provide an
opportunity for young musicians in the Ranelagh / Sandford /
Milltown area of Dublin to make music together. They meet in
Sandford Parish Church on Sunday afternoons (see right) to ‘jam’
and have an expanding repertoire. New members are very
welcome. facebook.com/ceoljam [email protected]
Talent in Parish Churches
Arnaud
Cras
Photo:
Photo:
Photo:
Arnaud
Arnaud
Cras
Cras
David O’Shea has been talking to three young musicians
Killian Farrell is in the third year of a music degree at
Trinity College, Dublin. He founded the choir, Jubilate, in
2009 at the age of 15, and conducted the choir’s
inaugural performance of Bach’s St John Passion on
Good Friday 2011. Since then he has amassed an
impressive array of accolades, including the Orchestra
Prize at the inaugural Feis Ceoil orchestral conducting
competition.
In
conjunction
with his studies,
Killian
works
regularly
as
chorus
master
with Wide Open
Opera,
Lyric
Opera and Opera
T h e a t r e
Company
and
currently he also
is working as conductor of The Oldest Woman in
Limerick, a newly commissioned opera by Brian Irvine for
the Limerick City of Culture. In the New Year he will be
musical director of a production of Monteverdi’s
L’incoronazione di Poppea with the DIT Conservatory.
Killian has been organist at the mediaeval St Audoen’s
(Church of Ireland), Cornmarket for almost a year and in
September he organised a concert of Bach cantatas for
the harvest festival. He is a Bach fanatic and Jubilate
perform the Christmas Oratorio in the Church of St Pius
X in Templeogue on Sunday 21 December. Killian is
looking forward to bringing this great virtuosic choral
work to a Dublin audience, and remarks that it is quite
unusual to perform all six parts of the Christmas Oratorio
in one session. Jubilate has around 50 members from a
wide variety of backgrounds, ranging in age from college
students to those no longer working. Further details and
tickets available at www.stpiusx.ie
Music at Holy Cross Church, Dundrum
Holy Cross Church is situated in the centre of Dundrum
Village. The present church dates from 1878, replacing
an 1813 building. Pastoral responsibility rests with a
team
ministry
covering
Dundrum,
Ballinteer,
Meadowbrook and Kilmacud. One of the co-parish
priests, Fr Kieran McDermott, also is director of the
archdiocese’s Office of Evangelisation and Ecumenism.
Niamh McCormack has been cantor since 2009 and
leads the singing at the 9am and 12 noon Sunday
Masses. Niamh is a soprano, who also is in demand for
weddings and funeral masses in the Dublin area. Patrice
Keegan, a former organ scholar at St Patrick’s
Cathedral, has been organist since 2008. Her
responsibilities
include
accompanying
Niamh,
performing solo organ music where appropriate, and
also directing the choir. The choir of almost 30 singers
rehearses on Thursday evenings, sings motets and Mass
settings, as well as leading the singing with Niamh at 12
noon on Sundays.
At the 9am Mass, Niamh and Patrice lead congregational
singing as well as performing
selections of liturgical items
and solo pieces by composers
such as Bach, Vivaldi and
Mozart.
The parish Folk
Group provides music at the
10.30 Mass.
Music is chosen by Patrice
and Niamh, and they always
select hymns that fit in with
the
scripture
readings.
Niamh explains that her role
of cantor is to encourage the
assembly to sing. The words
of the hymns and readings
are printed in the Mass leaflet. Niamh feels it is important
to do this. Patrice tells us that the congregational singing
in Dundrum Church is very good and has improved
steadily over the past few years. She says that as more
people join in the singing, the increased volume gives
greater confidence to the congregation, as individuals do
not feel so exposed and are less fearful to sing out.
Niamh agrees. “It’s one of the better parishes for
congregational singing. I’m a cantor, not a soloist. I’m not
there for people to listen to me. We are all there praising
God in music and song”.
Encouraged by the parish clergy, Niamh and Patrice have
recently produced a CD, to raise funds for Blossom
Ireland, a charity that supports children with special
needs. The tracks on the CD are mostly pieces for organ
and voice. The CD was recorded in Holy Cross, Dundrum,
and the 1982 Kenneth Jones organ (two manuals and
pedals with no swell-box) presented numerous challenges
in the choosing of repertoire. Vierne’s song cycle Les
Angélus is the album’s centre-piece. There also is music
by Sweelinck, Bach, and living composers Philip Martin
and Ad Wammes. The CD is available from Dundrum
parish office, www.holycrossdundrum.org, and online at
www.niamhmccormack.com
SOUNDBOARD
DECEMBER 2014 7
The Office Hymns
ANDREW MCCROSKERY on a little-used category of hymn
Hymns have been part of Christian practice and worship
from the beginning. The scriptures tell us that the
disciples sang hymns together. Sometimes they would
have been a psalm set to music or maybe a portion of
scripture, similar to how we set Magnificat to music.
Hymns are sung at football and rugby matches,
sometimes gleaned from bawdy secular sources (with
new words of course!); and today hymns still are being
written, sometimes borrowing from something old, at
other times from something brand new.
At Choral and Solemn Evensong in St Bartholomew’s
Church we sing the lowly Office hymns, often overlooked,
even maligned, for their lilting yet difficult tunes. Sung
immediately before the psalms at the ‘office’ of Evensong,
these hymns reflect the liturgical season in which we find
ourselves in church. They are repeated Sunday after
Sunday within particular seasons. Their tempo is
considered and they have a distinct stillness. Often they
rely on old plainsong chants, so most are instantly
recognisable as being Office hymns. We are blessed that
our choirs both know and sing them extremely well. The
hymns possess a beauty and simplicity, such as this
request for peaceful sleep:
Before the ending of the day,
creator of the world, we pray
that thou with wonted watch would keep
thy watch around us while we sleep.
Many Office hymns are also vehicles of theology, doctrine
and Church teaching. Despite their simplicity, they can
carry theological weight, providing insight into a
particular season or feast – for example, the expression of
the work of the Holy Spirit in the Office hymn of
Pentecost:
Thy blessèd unction from above
is comfort, life and fire of love;
enable with perpetual light
the dullness of our blinded sight.
Anoint and cheer our soilèd face
with the abundance of thy grace;
keep far our foes, give peace at home;
where thou art guide no ill can come.
These verses describe the movement of God from above,
down to us; the working of the Holy Spirit in us; how we
see and know it in love; and the light the Spirit brings
through the Gospel to help us see and know more clearly
those things that are of worth and truly matter. The words
hint at anointing, drawingin parallels from scripture of the
anointing of kings and prophets, presenting humanity as a
crowning glory of God’s creation, and being anointed for
a special task. In a few words, these hymns express a
myriad of theological thought, of scriptural reference and
religious allusion.
The Office hymns are amongst the most ancient Christian
hymns we have. While some can be identified as the
words of particular saints, usually the authors are
unknown. Most date back to the 6th and 7th centuries AD
and that they have stood the test of time ever since
indicates their power and strength. Take a look at the very
beautiful texts, paradoxically both simple and rich.
The Revd Andrew McCroskery is vicar of St Bartholomew’s
Church, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
Editorial note: In Church Hymnal, the following would
probably be regarded as Office hymns: Nos. 60, 66, 69, 121,
175, 241 242, 243, 296. Office Hymns are usually sung to
plainchant.
A Piece from the Past
The Parson's Handbook, by Percy Dearmer, first published in 1899, was fundamental to the
development of liturgy in the Church of England and throughout the Anglican Communion.
Percy Dearmer (1867-1936) was an English priest and liturgist. A lifelong socialist, he was an
early advocate of the ordination of women to public ministry (but not to the priesthood),
and very concerned with social justice. He had a strong influence on the music of the church
and, with Ralph Vaughan Williams and Martin Shaw, is credited with the revival and spread
of traditional and mediaeval English musical forms. The current Church Hymnal contains
four of his hymns and three translations. In 1901, after serving four curacies, Dearmer was
appointed the third vicar of London church of St Mary-the-Virgin, Primrose Hill, where he
remained until 1915. The Parson’s Handbook ran into thirteen editions. It contains a wealth
of fascinating advice and information, a great deal of it still relevant. Near the beginning
there is a section on looking after the churchyard, including advice on how to grow bulbs in
‘smoky towns’! Here is what Dearmer writes about hymns:
Hymns, it need hardly be said, rest upon a long-standing custom which has always been sanctioned by authority. They are
therefore popular but authorized additions to the service; and their arrangement rests in general upon the parson’s
discretion. It must be remembered that this discretion carries with it a grave responsibility both as to words and music. The
arts have far deeper teaching power than we realise; and a bad tune (though it may be popular for a while) is demoralizing
and irreligious in its effect, while a good one (though it will probably need to be used two or three times before it is
appreciated) has constantly growing power over the minds of the congregation, and helps to build up a real spiritual
atmosphere in the worship of the church.
8 SOUNDBOARD DECEMBER 2014
The September Festival in St Laserian’s Cathedral, Old Leighlin – which took place over the weekend of 12th-14th
September – marked a celebratory milestone in the restoration of the cathedral’s fabric and renewal and outreach. The
weekend followed on from a Service of Thanksgiving in June, when the restored Lady Chapel was dedicated by Bishop
Michael Burrows. The Fingal Chamber Choir, directed by David Maxwell opened the September Festival on Friday evening.
The Saturday programme included an Arts and Crafts Children’s Workshop on the theme of light and talks on the
cathedral’s history, followed by a concert by Trinity Gospel Choir, directed by Neville Cox. On Sunday afternoon Mark
Duley and David Milne led a Choral Workshop (above) for amateur singers from all parts of Carlow and Kilkenny. The
singers then provided the music for Choral Evensong. The huge enthusiasm and support of the whole community marked
the weekend as one of great joy and celebration.
Organ Builders at Work
The following information has been received from Irish organ builders about
major work completed since January 2014.
Fine Tuning Company (Derek Verso), Dublin
Dún Laoghaire Methodist Church: Repairs, refurbishment and tonal
enhancements; Castlemacadam, Co. Wicklow: Holy Trinity Church:
Restoration of 2-manual Browne organ.
Kenneth Jones Pipe Organs Ltd, Kilcoole
Valletta, Malta: St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral: Rebuild; Ashford: Church of the
Most Holy Rosary: Repair and restoration of 1865 Telford organ; Wicklow: St
Patrick’s Church: Partial restoration; Dublin, Meath Street: St Catherine’s
Church: Conservation / restoration of c.1858 Telford & Telford organ
following fire in church.
Neiland and Creane Organ Builders, Wexford
Bandon: St Patrick’s Church: Restoration of 1808 organ; Cabinteely: St
Brigid’s Church: cleaning and revoicing of 1994 Neiland organ; Tralee: St
John the Evangelist’s Church: Restoration of early-20thC William Hill organ.
O’Donovan Organs Ltd, Cork
Buttevant: St Mary’s Church: Complete restoration, tonal enhancements;
Templemartin: St Martin’s Church: Complete restoration; Coolkelure, Co.
Cork: St Edmund’s Church: Re-build of 1870s Walker organ; Clonmel:
Tullaghmeelan Church: Restoration and action changed to electro-pneumatic.
Pipe Organ Preservation Company, Belfast
Twinbrook, Co. Antrim: St Luke’s Church: Installation of 2-manual and pedal
1961 JW Walker extension organ; Lisburn: St Patrick’s Church: New 3-manual
and pedal organ.
Pipe Organs Ireland (Stephen Adams)
Ballyhaunis Parish Church: action converted to direct-electric; Cork: Douglas
Parish Church: Extensive repairs to pneumatic action; Dublin: St John’s
Church, Sandymount: Extensive repairs and cleaning; Sligo: St John’s
Cathedral: Extensive repairs.
SOUNDBOARD is published by
Church Music Dublin
which is appointed by the Dioceses of
Dublin and Glendalough to support
and resource music and musicians
in local churches
ISSUE 32: DECEMBER 2014
Edited by David McConnell
and David O’Shea
Designed by Fraser Wilson
Photography by named contributors
& public domain sources
Correspondence and material for future
issues should be sent to
[email protected]
Views expressed in signed articles and
letters are not necessarily those of the
editor or the Executive Committee
Chair Archdeacon Ricky Rountree
Secretary Mrs Jacqueline Mullen,
23 Ludford Park, Ballinteer, Dublin 16
Telephone +353 (0)1 298 8923
email [email protected]
The next Soundboard will be out in
April, so contributions should arrive
with us by 15 MARCH please.