THE project to publish a history of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, in the year 2000, which emerged from informal discussions between some interested parties in 1994, has made considerable progress.
Since last November, there have been regular seminars in which the contributors have presented aspects of their work. Prof Geoffrey Hand has reviewed recent histories of English cathedrals, Dr Raymond Gillespie has spoken on Christ Church in the first half of the 16th century, Dr Barra Boydell has discussed the cathedral music from 1480 to 1647, Dr Kenneth Milne has talked on the cathedral in the first half of the 17th century, and Prof Roger Stalley has discoursed on the architectural history of the building.
The series of seminars wilt resume in September when Prof Hand will speak on the medieval history of the cathedral, while in November Dr Milne will grapple with developments in the 19th century.
Alongside this work on the writing of the history of Christ Church, Dr Gillespie is co-ordinating the publication of a series of editions of the more important sources. His edition of The Proctor's Accounts of Peter Lewis, 1564- 1565 appeared earlier this year and the next will appear in the autumn. This will be a new edition of the Account Roll of the Priory of the Holy Trinity, Dublin, 1337-1346, with an introduction by Dr James Lydon, formerly Lecky Professor of History in Trinity College, together with an assessment by Mr Alan Fletcher, lecturer in English in University College Dublin, of The Pride of Life", the middle English morality play which was written on the dorse of the roll.
For the coming academic year, Dr Gillespie will be in Oxford where he has been elected to a visiting fellowship in All Souls College but he has decreed that in his absence the next two volumes in the documents series will be his edition of the chapter acts book, 1574-1634 and a new edition of the cathedral's deeds which will be edited by Dr Raymond Refausse.
The work of the project is greatly facilitated by the computer skills of its secretary, Mr Stuart Kinsella, and the recent anonymous donation of a scanner promises to further improve productivity.
Tomorrow, RTE will broadcast Morning Service from Conwal parish church, Letterkenny, where the rector is Canon William Morton. The Bishop of Cork, the Rt Rev Roy Warke, will visit Baltimore, and in Clonmacnoise there will be a celebration of the Eucharist in Templeconnor church at 4 p.m. The annual commemoration of the novelist Elizabeth Bowen, which is organised by the Provost of Tuam, the Very Rev Dr Robert MacCarthy, will take place in Farahy church near Mitchelstown, Co Cork. The address will be given by Victoria Glendinning whose Elizabeth Bowen. Portrait of a Writer first appeared in 1977.
In St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, on Wednesday there will be a lunchtime recital by Stephen Farr who is the sub organist of Winchester Cathedral, while in Christ Church Cathedral, Evensong on Wednesday and Thursday will be sung by the choir of Wallingford parish church from the diocese of Oxford.
On Wednesday, the Archdeacon of Armagh, the Ven Raymond Hoey, will institute the Rev John Auchmuty who has been curate in St. Mark's, Dundela since his ordination in 1992, to the incumbency of Eglish and Killylea.