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SOUNDBOARD THE MAGAZINE OF CHURCH MUSIC DUBLIN ▪ Giving worship a vibrant voice through music ISSUE 32 DECEMBER 2014

CHURCH MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

In this issue 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

On her retirement as Director of Music

at Castleknock Parish Church,

Maedhbh Abayawickrema receives a

presentation from Canon Paul

Houston.

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

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.

Dean Dermot Dunne welcomes the choir before Evensong. Photo: Al Craig

A Diocesan Choral Evensong

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,

organist@stpatrickscathedral.ie

Organist and choir director: Castleknock Parish Church, with Clonsilla. Information

from Canon Paul Houston revpaulhouston@hotmail.com and on CMD website

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.

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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.

Living Worship 2015

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. Proof-

reading 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.

soundboard@churchmusicdublin.org

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

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Archbishop of Dublin’s Certificate in Church Music

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.

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!

Above: Archdeacon Rountree presents Stephanie

Maxwell with her ACCM certificate on 23 November

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.

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

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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.

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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

accompan iment , ha rmon i sa t ion , 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.

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 eye-

opening 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.

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 Jones-

McAuley, 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.

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.

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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 ceolljam@gmail.com

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

Talent in Parish Churches David O’Shea has been talking to three young musicians

Photo: Arnaud Cras Photo: Arnaud Cras Photo: Arnaud Cras Photo: Arnaud Cras Photo: Arnaud Cras

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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.

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.

The Office Hymns ANDREW MCCROSKERY on a little-used category of hymn

8 S O U N D B O A R D D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4

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

soundboard@churchmusicdublin.org

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 info@churchmusicdublin.org

The next Soundboard will be out in April, so contributions should arrive

with us by 15 MARCH please.

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.

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.