20th October 2013, Sunday
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will
attend the re -dedication of the Cathedral Organ at St. Fin Barre’s
Cathedral Cork this afternoon.
The service will commence at 4pm with the re dedication by the Right
Reverend Paul Colton (Bishop of Cork) of the Cathedral organ which was
originally built in 1870 by William Hill. This will be followed by the
sung office of Choral Evensong, a sung Te Deum, and a spectacular
organ voluntary.
Speaking in advance of the service Minister Deenihan said “St Fin
Barre’s Cathedral Cork is a protected structure on Cork City Council’s
Record of Protected Structures. The Cathedral is rated as being of
International importance on my own Department’s National Inventory of
Architectural Heritage’s survey and it is also a recorded monument. As
one of the most coherent examples of Victorian ecclesiastical
architecture in Western Europe I was delighted last year, under the
Special Projects funding measure to allocate a sum of €212,000 towards
the conservation works to the cathedral.”
The newly restored organ now boasts over 4,500 pipes, making it the
biggest in the Republic. It is also the only organ situated in ‘a pit’
across the island of Ireland. For over 700 years there has been a
choir in the various cathedrals on the site. The organ is essential to
the continuance of this tradition which not only provides three choral
services a week but also provides free musical education for boy and
girl choristers from 8 years of age upwards. Third level students
also benefit from the lay vicar scholarship programme.
Funding provided by the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht
under the Special Projects assisted with emergency works to the South
and West elevations of the building but also contributed towards the
essential works to the North Transept and the organ pit, thus ensuring
that the organ would be protected from water ingress for future
generations.
Also attending will be Very Reverend Nigel Dunne, Dean of Cork.
