reorganisation and destruction of irish catholic churches
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Praxiteles has just finished rereading Alice in Wonderland as a prelude to reading Denis O’Callaghan’s effort to outdo Alice Taylor on the subject of life in Newmarket and environs (Alice, I may say has a ring of authenticity about her books sadly absent in the O’Callaghan script which has more the air of trying to be one of the lads at the local herrier club). What attracts Praxiteles to Putting Hand to the Plough is O’C’s account of the debacle surrounding the attempted wreckage of Cobh Cathedral. Without the slightest hint of shame, O’C admits that he was responsible for dragging the great Professor O’Neill into the fray in Cobh and tells us that he chose the Dublin guru to hack out the interior in whct O’C describes as a modest “conservative” re-ordering.
O’C telles us: “St. Colman’s Cthedral in Cobh is universally admired for its superb site and majectic beauty….It is for us a sacred trust to preserve and enhance that heritage as a monument to the living faith of the Irish then and now” . these, Praxiteles would contend, are, like most of the meanderings in the book, hollow words. If O’C, or indeed any of the Cobh clergy were in the slightest bit interested in Cobh Cathedral thy might spend a few bob on a can of paint for the doors that are quite literally rotting off their hinges.
O’C tells us the Steering Committee was e stablished to plan and direct the “thhe restoration and REORDERING” of Cobh Cathedral. This comes as a tardy admission that they had intent to wreck in mind from the outset though this wa vehemently denied lest it cause the flow of cash coming in to dry up. O’C, in a lucid moment, conjectures that the Steering Committee had been “aware that the Cathedral had been universally acclaimed as a gem of Gothic church architecture”. He supposed that they realized that “whatever was done would be subject to public scruitny right across Ireland and beyond”. All those persons on the Steering Committee cannot have been too worried about public scrutiny given that they do not care a damn that the place is literally falling to bits and has all the signs of a pigstey for lack of basic maintenance. The former head of the Steering Committee, Tom Cavanagh (aka Mr Titd Towns) was not that concerned to keep the place any way tidy and we certainly cannot hope for anything better from his successor to improve matters. Denis Murphy, a milkman from Mallow, has no interest in tidy towns as far as can be made out from any published material about him and even less in having a tidy Cathedral in Cobh.
@Praxiteles wrote:
Re the statue of Our Lady in Blackpool, I am fairly sure it is bthe one in Blackpool though I will double check in the light of Radioactiveman’s glow on the subject!
No, its similar, but the face and head are completely different.
Here we go, note differences in the robe around the left arm also. The image you posted is of a piece called “Morning Star” done in limestone in 1961. The Madonna in Blackpool is in portland stone and was done in 1945 when the church was consecrated. Aidan O’ Shea notes in his article that local reaction to the piece was mixed. This may well explain why a much less impressive piece adorns Our Lady’s altar in the church to this day. Although, to move it now would make Murphy’s Madonna less visible in the church and would also disturb that sort of ‘lop-sided symmetry’ between it and the Sacred Heart statue (also in Portland) which is on the other side of the main altar.
@Praxiteles wrote:
Any update on the state of the doors of Cobh Cathedral? Has the Urban District Council served a maintenance on the Trustees yet? This seems to be the best solution to the problem and should get things moving fast and before the onset of winter.
I certainly hope they use their Council powers and do so without further delay as we’ve mentioned before the state of the place is …..deplorable.
It would appear the Church authorites have their heads buried in the sand as they are not listening at all to what their own congragation or indeed anyone is saying….
Have they any realisation of the Gem they have under their control…….
Basil Faulty would do a better job at planned maintenance that this lot…..
It would appear from the lack of action on maintenance that the will or perhaps know-how to keep this gem in the condition it so dererves does not exist.
Then I say let it be forced upon them……. St. Colman’s should be there for many generations ahead to enjoy and inspire, the peccadilloes of one administration should not be allowed to compromise this in any way
and if they can’t do it, move on, shift and let it to does who can.@Radioactiveman wrote:
No, its similar, but the face and head are completely different.
Here we go, note differences in the robe around the left arm also. The image you posted is of a piece called “Morning Star” done in limestone in 1961. The Madonna in Blackpool is in portland stone and was done in 1945 when the church was consecrated. Aidan O’ Shea notes in his article that local reaction to the piece was mixed. This may well explain why a much less impressive piece adorns Our Lady’s altar in the church to this day. Although, to move it now would make Murphy’s Madonna less visible in the church and would also disturb that sort of ‘lop-sided symmetry’ between it and the Sacred Heart statue (also in Portland) which is on the other side of the main altar.
Yes indeed Radioactive man!
They are two different statues.
Following ion our reading of Denis O’Callaghan’s account of the Cathedral debacle in his recent book Hand to the Plough, I came across this wonderfully gauch howler and just serves to illustrate how out of contact with ecclesial reality we all are in Mallow. On the question of the alteration of the sacntuary in CObh Cathedral he proffers this piece oi un-prophetic rhetorical nonsense: “Would anyone today propose that we return to that pre-Vatican II system of celebration even with state-of-art ligting?” (p. 164) This really is just a dressed up version of Jum Killeen’s famous howler when acting as a press spokesman for the bishop of Cloyne on a BBC interview: the 19th century sancturay bit for a 21st century liturgy. Well, I wonder how does O’C square this mouthful of guff with Summorum Pontificum and the idea of ritual (or liturgical) continuity?
Ok admit it, which one of you wrote this 😉
Great island community news (the newsletter)
Why have we neglected our beautiful Cathedral?
I am compelled and saddened to have to write this letter concerning the state of our Cathedral. We are nearing the end of a bad summer, which did not prevent us from preserving the outside of our homes with whatever it took to have them looking well.
What about God’s House? Why have we neglected our beautiful Cathedral? Are we not ashamed of this neglect in front of the hundreds of visitors who come to admire and photograph the beautiful work that our forefathers carried out to perfection? How can the powers that be let it deteriorate to such an extent?
Just look at the doors which are exposed to all weathers. Are we going to continue to allow them to rot or wait until they fall down and then complain of the cost of replacement? God knows there are enough collections every week, plus the monthly collections for diocesan purposes, which were slipped in at the start of the year. What about the monies collected for Restoration?
Surely some can be used to restore the doors?Take a look at the main doors; at the southern door which is completely raw; the door to the Adoration Chapel which has moss growing on the frame.
Where is our respect for the Blessed Sacrament? Are the powers that be still licking their wounds because An Bord Pleanala prevented them from causing untold damage to the interior?
The people of Cobh are not happy with what they see as the complete lack of maintenance in our Cathedral.
Protest now by letter or otherwise and give your views to the people responsible for this static mess. I could go on and on if I were to talk about the works already completed, which were badly done, but I feel that the state of the doors requires urgent attention.
I appeal to our Bishop and his advisors to move immediately on the doors. It is so urgent it required attention yesterday.
Yours sincerely,THE_Chris wrote:Ok admit it, which one of you wrote this ]LOL…:D 😀
Yet again it just shows how out of touch and deluded the powers that be, are.
Sad isn’t it when, a person has to plead publicly and indeed echo the thoughts of many, with the Bishop to buy a drop of varnish….
He has the power to fix and make good, damage done, get the place shining……. if he wants any element of a legacy to his time on Cobh…. turn the other cheek and get on with the job.
It must be one of, if not the..most photographed buildings in the Lower Harbour……. what must the world think…
They must be starting to think that Father Ted was in fact a documentary….:o
I am continuing my read of Demos O’Callaghan’s very personal account of the Cobh cathedral debacle. Here is another gem:
“I was personally very disappointed that the elegant and conservative plan for reordering the sanctuary failed to pass an Bord Pleanala”
Strange that O#C should describe the plan as conservative. Nobody else did – in fact several adverted to it modernism, Were it “conservative” it would surely have undermined the business of a 21 st century sanctuary for a 21 st century liturgy.
I wonder if the use of the term “conservative” has anything to do with the use of the same word by Caterine Casey in her Buildingd of Dublin when speaking of the disaster visited on the Pro-Cathedral? What, you might ask i,s the connection? The great Professor Cahal O’Neill – architect extraordinaire and purveyor of “conservative”, ney elegant, reorderings of the historical interiors of cathedrals. Is there any chance that the professor may have explained to both Casey and O’Callaghan that the term to describe his work was “conservative”?
Continuing our amble through the meanderings of Denis O’Callaghan’s account of the Cobh Cathedral debacle, as published in his groundbreaking work Hand to Plough, this morning’s first offering has the following to say:
“I was privilege to have been entrusted with the role of charing the SPECIALIST group which would recommend an architect for the work {of wrecking the interior of Cobh Cathedral}.”.
What we would all like to know is what specialization in architecture does Denis O’Callaghan have – apart form the usual bit of guffing that he goes on with? We certainly know that he has no LITURGICAL specialization. As far as ART is concerend, he has no qualification whatsoever.
This leaves us witrh the prospect of a SPECIALIST group chaired by someone UNSPECIALIZED chairing it. Is its any wonder that everything came to grief.
In the wake of a disaster of these proportions, surely those responsible for the recommendation, including O’C himself, should resign from all diocesan advice groups in the diocese of Cloyne? Obviously, the shipwrecked the bishop by foisting the Cobh disaster on him.
And here is another bloomer from O’Callaghan:
“The end result to my mind was superb, an ideal solution in keeping with the character of the cathedral. AS the design plan for the extension to the sanctuary reached forward at a lower level it brought the congregation closer to the altar while providing an unobtrusive view of the original sanctuary as inspiring background”.
There is a mouthful of guff.
There is no evidence to suggest that PHYSICAL closeness to the altar assures the ends of liturgy – which, by the way, is worship of God.
As for inspiring backrund…..I ask you. Where does he think he is and what does he think he is up to?
As for the unobstructed view of the sancturay: well just how much of it would have survived his trusty friends from England who were prepared to dig hole in it during the night.
@Praxiteles wrote:
And here is another bloomer from O’Callaghan:
“The end result to my mind was superb, an ideal solution in keeping with the character of the cathedral. AS the design plan for the extension to the sanctuary reached forward at a lower level it brought the congregation closer to the altar while providing an unobtrusive view of the original sanctuary as inspiring background”.
What is this obsession with bringing the congregation closer to the altar?! Is the priest so lonely up there? Concentrate on saying your mass for godsake.
If it’s so important to bring them close to the altar, why not put the altar on wheels and drive it up and down the nave while the mass is being said?
@ake wrote:
What is this obsession with bringing the congregation closer to the altar?! Is the priest so lonely up there? Concentrate on saying your mass for godsake.
That always puzzled me too.:confused: …. they quite happy where they are you know…. sware just ask them….;)
@ake wrote:
What is this obsession with bringing the congregation closer to the altar?! Is the priest so lonely up there? Concentrate on saying your mass for godsake.
If it’s so important to bring them close to the altar, why not put the altar on wheels and drive it up and down the nave while the mass is being said?
Ake!
That is all just guff. Tell the Russian Orthodox about proximity to the altar – when they cannot even SEE it. Physical proximity to the altar has nothing to do with anything.
Some further musings from Donis O’Callaghan and the Cobh CAthedral debacle:
“Eventually the design came before An Bord Pleanala for planning permission”.
The use of teh word EVENTUALLY in this sentence convers a multitude of unsavoury factors that our author would rather pass oer in the deepest silence. As we all know, planning permission is not granted by An Bord Pleanala. Planning Permission is granted by the Local Autority – in this case a very tame and over-coperative Cobh Urban District Council.
The plans to wreck Cobh Cathedral came to ABP because the planning permission so willingl;y supplied by Cobh Urban District Council was challenged (successfully) by all the major conservation groups in the country and by the Friends of St. Coolman’s Cathedral – the group that formally requested an Oral Hearing from ABP. It is important to keep the record straight. DO’C just simply cannot recreate a coco version of it.
The use of teh word EVENTUALLY also meant that DOC did not have to dwell for too long on the sham “consultation process” that took place AFTER the planning application had been lodged. It also allowed him to skip the bit about a solemn promise made by bishop McGhee to return tot he people of Cobh BEFORE doing anything with the Cathedral. It also meant that need not have to make mention of the lies told in writing to the FOSCC – which were subsequently unmasked at the Oral Heraing.
Using the word EVENTUALLY also meant that DOC did not have to mention anything of bishop McGhee’s IMAGINATION that he had APPROVAL from Rome for his plans when, in reality it transpired at the Oral Hearing that he had a letter that barely mentioned the subject and certainly could not be construed as an approval.
Using the word EVENTUALLY also meant that he did not have to mention anything about the dirty tricks unleashed by Jom Killeen on the FOSCC and his attempts to portray them as unlawfully collecting money and of his attempt to to hav ethe police block the FOSCC from collecting funds to pay their legal expenses.
So, there is indeed a lot in a word!
@Praxiteles wrote:
Praxiteles has just finished rereading Alice in Wonderland as a prelude to reading Denis O’Callaghan’s effort to outdo Alice Taylor on the subject of life in Newmarket and environs (Alice, I may say has a ring of authenticity about her books sadly absent in the O’Callaghan script which has more the air of trying to be one of the lads at the local herrier club). What attracts Praxiteles to Putting Hand to the Plough is O’C’s account of the debacle surrounding the attempted wreckage of Cobh Cathedral. Without the slightest hint of shame, O’C admits that he was responsible for dragging the great Professor O’Neill into the fray in Cobh and tells us that he chose the Dublin guru to hack out the interior in whct O’C describes as a modest “conservative” re-ordering.
O’C telles us: “St. Colman’s Cthedral in Cobh is universally admired for its superb site and majectic beauty….It is for us a sacred trust to preserve and enhance that heritage as a monument to the living faith of the Irish then and now” . these, Praxiteles would contend, are, like most of the meanderings in the book, hollow words. If O’C, or indeed any of the Cobh clergy were in the slightest bit interested in Cobh Cathedral thy might spend a few bob on a can of paint for the doors that are quite literally rotting off their hinges.
O’C tells us the Steering Committee was e stablished to plan and direct the “thhe restoration and REORDERING” of Cobh Cathedral. This comes as a tardy admission that they had intent to wreck in mind from the outset though this wa vehemently denied lest it cause the flow of cash coming in to dry up. O’C, in a lucid moment, conjectures that the Steering Committee had been “aware that the Cathedral had been universally acclaimed as a gem of Gothic church architecture”. He supposed that they realized that “whatever was done would be subject to public scruitny right across Ireland and beyond”. All those persons on the Steering Committee cannot have been too worried about public scrutiny given that they do not care a damn that the place is literally falling to bits and has all the signs of a pigstey for lack of basic maintenance. The former head of the Steering Committee, Tom Cavanagh (aka Mr Titd Towns) was not that concerned to keep the place any way tidy and we certainly cannot hope for anything better from his successor to improve matters. Denis Murphy, a milkman from Mallow, has no interest in tidy towns as far as can be made out from any published material about him and even less in having a tidy Cathedral in Cobh.
Prax, what a waste of precious time reading that drivel. Let Denis O’Callaghan or Demos O’Callaghan or whatever-his-name-is keep his hand to the plough and off the interior of St Colman’s Cathedral Cobh.
What did he hope to accomplish by publishing this vain piece of puffery and fumery?
When it drifts across the ocean, Rhabanus intends not to buy it. Or will it be airborne like the avian flu?
St. Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh, Co. Cork
And here we have another example of some subtle storm glazing:
The sacristy windows of St. Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh. Here a single finely cut roundel had beeen bolted to the tracery of the window. On of the effects of this master stroke of genius is to cause the tracery to leak which in turn causes the water to come into the sacristy.
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