reorganisation and destruction of irish catholic churches

Can anyone confirm whether the fox has been consulted about security measures for the henhouse? 😀

I have put up a posting on the beautiful SS Augustine and John Church (better known as John’s Lane Church) in Dublin on the E.W. Pugin thread.
Its interior bears a striking resemblance to Cobh Cathedral – there is some loving mosaic work on the sanctuary floor, but I don’t have a good picture. Perhaps someone could oblige.
Using a Google image search, I did come across this one of the sanctuary in John’s Lane, which gives some idea. To my mind the central mosaic is very like Cobh’s.

Well, it looks as though Magee is changing his story. Last summer, he told us the Vatican had approved his plans to wreck the interior of Cobh Cathedral and left him with little choice but to do the job. Now, he tells us that no approval is needed – I suppose we have to take that to mean that no approval was ever given. This is beginning to sound a bit like Lewis Carroll’s famous WORDS MEAN WHAT I WANT THEM TO MEAN. If I am not mistaken, I think those famous words were spoken by Humpty Dumpty – and we all know what happened to him!!!!!

Boyler –

It would seem like Bishop Magee wants to be remembered for, literally, destroying the Cathedral not improving it. Does he not realise that people of Cobh don’t want their cathdral ‘reordered’?

24,000 sign petition opposing the changes; 720 people sign 213 objections to the planning application but according to the church authorities in Cobh there are only a handful of ‘fanatics’ fighting them. They have convinced themselves that the people will come around eventually and they plan to achieve this goal by not ever discussing the proposals with the people.They have presented the people with a fair accompli, and call it “consultation”.:mad:
They are delusional as well as being iconoclastic wreckers. Unfortunately they seem to have convinced their planning consultants and architect that really deep deep deep deep down the people like this lunatic plan. Just who are they fooling? :rolleyes:

It appears that Prof. O’Neill can disregard the level of opposition to the proposed reordering on the grounds that the survey and signature campaign, which resulted in the 24,127 people stating their opposition, was undertaken before he produced the present plans. This is despite the fact that the basic plan is the same, ie extending the sanctuary into the nave; remove altar rails; digging up mosaics; introducing new furnishing into the Cathedral; in fact his plans are even more radical than those first shown which produced such decisive and angry opposition from the people of Cobh and Cloyne Diocese

Killarney in its former glory as envisioned by A.W.N.

Here is an account of the competition for the building of ST Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh, from the pages of the Irish Builder.

SOMETHING ABOUT THE
CLOYNE CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL
COMPETITION.
THE very unusual line of conduct adopted by two of the competing architects for Cloyne Cathedral, and the peculiar nature of the conditions drawn up by them for the signature of the third, may, perhaps, deserve a few words of comment. We cannot but think that they would have consulted better for their own professional dignity by ascertaining in the first instance the views of the third competitor as to an alteration of the conditions. Leaving aside this view of the question, we think some of their proposed conditions are peculiarly unfeasible. The wish to bind the successful competitor and the committee so that no alteration could possibly be made in the drawings: this we think is very objectionable, because it invariably arises, in an important work like the one under consideration, that as it progresses many modifications or substitutions of minor things may be very conducive to the value of the building, without increasing in any appreciable degree the expenditure. If the conditions as proposed by Messrs. McCarthy and Goldie had been adopted by the committee, no alteration, even if it was to reduce the expense, could have been practicable without necessitating a violation of them. Condition No. 2 as proposed by them would not, we think, be a very acceptable one to architects of large practice, as it would involve a considerable amount of extra labour in making duplicates of all submitted drawings, specifications, &c., because the drawings “are not to be returned to the architects on any pretext whatever until the expiration of the time named” (twelve months), and the selected architect should of course have copies of all his drawings in order to prepare ” all supplemental drawings and specifications that may be necessary,” &c. Few builders capable of undertaking such a work would care to go to the trouble of preparing tenders on the terms proposed in condition No. 6, and surveyor’s fees on a work of such magnitude would add not a little to the total cost. For the present we shall dismiss the subject with these remarks, as our readers will easily see from the correspondence (which we print on another page) whether Messrs. McCarthy and Goldie were right in proposing, or Messrs. Pugin and Ashlin in refusing, the conditions.
[Taken from Irish Builder, Vol. IX, 1867, p.284]

For more on the controversy surrounding the competition for Cobh Cathedral, see the following link;

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/asset?id=7104

While Ashlin was busy in Queenstown, he also found time to plan Buttevant convent in North Cork.

ST. MARY’S CONVENT OF MERCY, BUTTEVANT. THIS building, which was formally opened on Sunday, 9th inst., occupies a fine site on the western bank of the Aubeg, and within a stone’s throw of the ivy-clad ruins of Buttevant Abbey. The style is Domestic Gothic, and the building, with its pointed gables and massive chimneys, has a very pleasing effect. The material used is local limestone, with Youghal bricks in jambs, arches, and chimneys, cut-stone sills, &c. The internal exposed woodwork is of red pine stained and varnished, and all exterior walls are battened. There is every accommodation for a community of 18 nuns, and a pension school to accommodate 100 pupils. The drainage, water supply, and ventilation, have been carefully attended
to, and are giving entire satisfaction. Mr. G. C. Ashlin was the (architect, and Mr. P. F. Monahan clerk of works. The cost was about £3,000.
[Taken from Irish Builder, Vol. XXI, 1879, p.52]

I thought that I had come across the worst in the horror gallery. Then I discovered the Chapel of the Sisters of Mercy in Cappaquin, Co. Waterford. One Fergus Costello is responsible. Just take one look at it.

This used to be the chapel in St. Patrick’s College, Thurles. To-day, there are no clerics to occupy it.