Madam, - Frank McDonald's feature "Creating Ireland's New Identity" dealing with a new book on the architectural heritage of the firm Scott, Tallon, Walker is both timely and informative (Arts, February 6th).
However, he makes one observation the meaning of which is not quite clear to me at least.
Surveying this firm's work over the years he praises the late Michael Scott's church at Knockanure, Co Kerry, built in 1964 - a photograph of which, with a handful of men emerging after Mass, appears with the article. Commenting on the author Deyan Sudjic's caption to the photograph in question Frank McDonald writes: "For him [ Sudjic] this photograph encapsulates much of what made the history of Scott, Tallon, Walker's work so interesting. Just as striking as the way it makes so much of the church's clear span, with its concrete roof 'floating magically in space above a transparent glass wall', is the portrait of a long-gone Ireland that it depicts so eloquently" (italics mine).
This final observation could be read in three different ways. First, is it a fashion statement? The suits worn by the men in the picture of this country parish do not look dated and certainly the tweed caps are still with us. When, I wonder, was the photograph actually taken? For myself I fail to see anything "long gone" in this reading of the picture.
Secondly, is it meant to be an architectural statement? If so, this would imply that the church in question no longer exists as a functioning place of worship or alternatively that such striking churches are no longer being built. But at least we are sure that Knockanure church is still extant and certainly not "long gone".
Thirdly, is it a sociological statement? This would imply that no such scene could exist in Ireland today - worshippers emerging from a church.
Anyone acquainted with current Catholic worship knows that large numbers of people continue to attend Mass - some 65 per cent of the population according to some surveys. Numbers have diminished in many churches, but in our parish at least congregations have grown lately. This may be somewhat due, of course, to an increase in local housing.
The expression "a long-gone Ireland" referring to the photograph of Knockanure church smacks of a terminal state of affairs. So what does Frank McDonald intend to convey by the phrase he uses?
As a rider to this query let it be said that it is an implicit recognition of how carefully we attend to Frank McDonald's role as a (mostly) enlightened instructor on matters true and beautiful in our environment. - Yours, etc,
Fr TOM STACK, Milltown, Dublin 6.