18th Century parish appointments system recalled; Historical bronze bell stolen from Kerry church; Medics suggest crackdown on public order to tackle problem drinking; The booze battle; Priest joins group abseiling down cathedral to keep regatta afloat; ‘No need to bring religion into sport’; ‘Unusual sentence’ for sex offender raises doubts about system’s fairness
18th Century parish appointments system recalled
In today’s Church of Ireland, the mode of electing new incumbents to vacant parishes and bishops and archbishops to vacant sees is carefully governed in the Church’s Constitution which sets out the processes by which the needs of a particular parish and the interests of parishioners and diocesan representatives are respected in the onerous task of making new appointments through boards of nomination and episcopal electoral colleges. This is very different to the methods used for preferment in the Church before Disestablishment – as the contents of the Archive of the Month for August at the RCB Library show.
This month’s feature is a selection of letters from MS 20 – being a collection of 215 letters received by George, 4th Viscount Townshend, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1767 to 1772. As the king’s representative in Ireland, Townshend was the chief dispenser of considerable patronage in civil, military and ecclesiastical life and was in receipt of constant requests for support principally from or on behalf of bishops and clergy for preferment in Ireland, although there are also some requests for civil and military preferment too.
As the contents of some of these letters show, the frank and unambiguous petitioning for positions in the Church which was commonplace in the eighteenth century is far removed from the discreet and confidential proceedings of the Church of Ireland today. In the eighteenth century if you wanted a position you asked for it or got someone of influence to ask for you, as the digitized images of a selection of letters from this collection demonstrate.
The provenance of this particular collection of letters (originally arranged in two bundles) is of further archival interest. In 1934, it was offered for sale to the National Library of Ireland by the Leicester bookseller, Bernard Halliday. Given their Church of Ireland significance, the then Director of the National Library, Dr Richard Best, suggested that the RCB might buy them. Canon J.B. Leslie, Honorary Secretary of the Library and Ecclesiastical Records Committee, who had examined the letters, was instructed by the Finance Committee of the RCB to offer up to £4 for them. Halliday refused the offer which was then increased to up to £7 and accepted. The letters were arranged and bound into a guard book (literally to ‘guard’ the contents) with a table of contents by Canon Leslie.
www.ireland.anglican.org/library/archive
Historical bronze bell stolen from Kerry church
thejournal.ie – An historical bell has been taken from a Co Kerry arts centre based in an old church. There has been no sign of the bronze bell since it was taken from the Ivy Leaf Theatre in Castleisland.
It is one of 16 remaining bells which were cast by the Rudhall family in Gloucestershire, England. The other bells are in St Anne’s church in Shandon, Cork, St Finbarre’s Cathedral and TCD.
www.thejournal.ie/historical-bronze-bell-stolen-from-kerry-church-539341-Jul2012/
Medics suggest crackdown on public order to tackle problem drinking
Examiner – A panel of senior medics is likely to recommend a crackdown on drunk and disorderly behaviour in public as part of plans to tackle the issue of problem drinking. A national policy group has been formed within the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and brings together experts from bodies including the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine and the Irish College of General Practitioners. The 12-strong panel will work on its recommendations over the summer and said it will publish its conclusions in September
The booze battle
Irish Times – We know that Ireland has a drink problem, but how to tackle it has become a fight between politicians, lobby groups and the alcohol industry. How will we wean ourselves off the drink, asks Patrick Freyne http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2012/0728/1224320934620.html
Priest joins group abseiling down cathedral to keep regatta afloat
A priest is among a group of people who will, for the first time ever, abseil from the turrets of an iconic cathedral in Co Cork. Fifteen people, aged 15 to their 50s, are in training for the fundraising event which will take place next Saturday at St Coleman’s Cathedral Cobh. The funding will aid the town’s annual regatta.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/priest-joins-group-abseiling-down-cathedral-to-keep-regatta-afloat-202483.html
‘No need to bring religion into sport’
Examiner – Olympian Chloe Magee has said there was no need for RTÉ sports anchor Bill O’Herlihy to bring religion into her sport. The veteran commentator stunned millions of viewers when he claimed that he thought badminton was a “mainly Protestant” sport.
Mr O’Herlihy’s comments took the shine off the Co Donegal woman’s victory over Egyptian competitor Hadia Hosny.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/no-need-to-bring-religion-into-sport-202522.html
‘Unusual sentence’ for sex offender raises doubts about system’s fairness
Anthony Lyons had five-and-a-half years of his six-year sentence suspended after being found guilty of sexually attacking a woman in Dublin two years ago.
http://www.thejournal.ie/unusual-sentence-for-sex-offender-raises-doubts-about-systems-fairness-539209-Jul2012/