St Fin Barre’s Cathedral in association with St Fin Barre’s Quarter is delighted to announce its unique and innovative presentation of Christmas Carols for Cork City which was launched today (Thursday 17th December)

Recorded at the Cathedral by a reduced choir due to Covid-19 restrictions, the uplifting and traditional Christmas Carols are being presented at strategic locations in Cork City over five days from Thursday 17th December to Monday 21st December.

Using the latest mobile LED screen technology and sound projection St Fin Barre’s Cathedral has been turned “inside out”. Some of the music from the traditional carol services, a highlight of Christmas in Cork and sadly cancelled this year, are instead being brought to the people on the streets and at some institutions in the city.

The official launch took place at the Cathedral this morning with Deputy Lord Mayor, Des Cahill representing the City Council, Professor of Emergency Medicine at UCC and CUH, Conor Deasy representing the HSE, Fr Sean Crowley (Chaplain to the Defence Forces) and Thomas McHugh representing Cork Chamber of Commerce.

The Christmas Carols first called to City Hall and Anglesey Street Fire Station & Garda Station, where a large cohort of Cork City Fire Brigade staff and Gardai joined the Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr. Des Cahill and Ann Doherty, Chief Executive of Cork City Council for the first public viewing of the carols.

Over the following days the performance will be brought to some of the city’s hospitals and nursing homes so that the Christmas cheer from the Cathedral is shared with front line workers and patients.

Leading this initiative, the Dean of Cork, Very Rev. Nigel Dunne said:

we were devastated to have to cancel the hugely popular carol services especially in this our 150th anniversary year. However thanks to some very creative thinking by St Fin Barre’s Quarter Committee and the generous support of the City Council we can now bring some of our wonderful music, sung by a greatly reduced and socially distanced choir, onto the streets of the city. While it is not the same as gathering as a community in the Cathedral I hope it will bring some Christmas cheer to the streets of our city and our front line workers in these difficult times.

Chair of St Fin Barre’s Quarter Development Committee, Eoin Murphy welcomed the programme saying:

The Cathedral is at the heart of the historic St Fin Barre’s Quarter and this initiative shows what a significant contribution it makes to Cork City especially at Christmas time. For me the Carol Service has always symbolised the start of Christmas and I am thrilled that the tradition continues albeit in a different way

This innovative programme is sponsored by Cork City Council through the Reimagine GLOW Programme.