Ballymoney National School selected as one of nineteen DCU Changemaker Schools

Posted on April 6, 2022 by mediaccr

Ballymoney National School in Ballineen recently received exciting news when they were selected as a Changemaker School by DCU. The DCU Changemaker Schools, established in September 2020, is a network of 19 innovative primary schools on the island of Ireland who were chosen for their pioneering work in the development of the skills of empathy, creativity, leadership and teamwork. This social innovative initiative has one powerful yet simple ambition – to support students as Changemakers. A Changemaker is someone with the skills and confidence to lead change in their home, school and community.

Left to Right: Dr. John White (Programme Director), Prof. Anne Looney (Dean of DCU), Amanda Sullivan (Deputy Principal of Ballymoney NS), Shireen Rountree (Principal of Ballymoney NS), Daire Keogh (President of DCU)

Ballymoney National School first drew attention because of its’ creative approach to supporting its pupils during the pandemic. The students had daily zoom lessons for up to three hours per day so they were not isolated from their peers and they did not fall behind in their school work.  They had a baking week with daily videos to instruct them and they created a ‘Bottle Top Mural’ out of 12,400 plastic bottle tops. The collaborative artwork was originally intended to help to keep the two classrooms to feel connected to each other but it ended up involving the parents, parishioners and wider community of Ballineen and Enniskeane. Since then many other schools, youth groups and tidy towns groups from around the country have copied them and created similar murals, reusing thousands of plastic bottle tops.

Ballymoney National School in Ballineen, County Cork, is the only Church of Ireland School in the network. It is a small, rural school with 29 pupils. They were independently nominated to join the network, there was an initial interview with the directors of the programme, a school visit followed and members of their Board of Management and parents were interviewed. Being nominated for the network was a very proud moment for the school, it acknowledges the huge contribution that the whole school community has made to the culture of the school with empathy at the core of their daily interactions. Pupils’ voice is very evident in their school and they have an effective system of distributed leadership where everybody is included. Joining the network is a wonderful opportunity for the school to network with other creative and positive schools and to learn from their innovative ideas.

The DCU Changemaker Network is shortlisted in the Best Outreach Education Programme Category at the Education Awards. Visit www.dcuchangemakernetwork.com for more information on the programme.

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Book & Cake Sale at St Mary’s Church, Carrigaline

Posted on April 5, 2022 by mediaccr

On Saturday, 2nd April, a Book & Cake Sale in support of the ‘Together-Razem Centre’ took place in the parish hall beside St Mary’s Church, Carrigaline.

The Rev. Canon Elaine Murray, Rector of Carrigaline Union, commented:

Thank you to everyone who came along to the Book&Cake Sale. It was so lovely to just be together again, quite apart from the much needed money raised for ‘Together-Razem Centre’ who are doing such essential work settling Ukrainian Refugees here in Cork.

Book Sale at St Mary’s Church, Carrigaline, with author Sara Jane Cromwell.

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First Confirmations of 2022 in Cork, Cloyne and Ross

Posted on April 5, 2022 by mediaccr

The first three confirmations of 2022 took place on 13th March in St Luke’s Church, Douglas, on 20th March in St Colman’s Cathedral, Cloyne and on 3rd April in Saint Peter’s, Bandon. For the last 23 years, the Bishop has celebrated Confirmations in parishes in the Easter Seasons, but this year is different, he explains:

We have nearly twice as many young people and adults who want to be confirmed this year as many of the other years in my time here as Bishop. As far as I can tell it’s not a backlog from the postponed Confirmations of the pandemic, although there may be some of those. We simply have a a greater than usual number of people in the Diocese being presented for Confirmation this year, so I want to thank those parishes and families who have been willing to schedule Confirmations, unusually for me, in Lent. We are back on track now and a large number of Confirmation Services are scheduled throughout the Easter Season until the end of June.

It is wonderful to be worshipping with everyone in person once again and being able to sing, while, all the time, keeping in mind that precautions still have to be taken as the pandemic is still in full force.

The Ven. Adrian Wilkinson, Archdeacon of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, and Rector of Douglas Union, commented:

We had twenty young people and two adults confirmed in St Luke’s on 13th March. This confirmation group was made up of young teenagers, some older teenagers, as well as the two adults. It was moving to see the candidates all make the same profession of faith despite being at different stages in life.

The confirmands of Douglas Union with Frankfield together with their Bishop, Paul Colton, and their Rector, Adrian Wilkinson.

The Very Rev. Susan Green, Dean of Cloyne and Rector of Cloyne Union, writes:

A large congregation gathered in St Colman’s Cathedral Cloyne for a Confirmation Service on Sunday March 20th. Sixteen young people were confirmed by Bishop Paul Colton. The group had been prepared by myself and Canon Andrew Orr, and included young people from Cloyne and Youghal Unions of Parishes. The service was followed by refreshments, kindly provided by Midleton College and during which donations were made to the Red Cross.

Bishop Colton preached memorably on the theme of Growing Up and the need to develop a grown up faith, he illustrated this with a child’s picture book and a newspaper. The first reading was read by one of the candidates, Miriam Ahemefula and the prayers were led by our lay reader Alan Clohessey. The hymns for the service included ‘I the Lord of Sea and Sky’ and ‘Will you come and Follow me’, and were played by Eoin O’Callaghan.

The confirmands of Cloyne Union and Youghal Union together with their Bishop, Paul Colton, and their Rectors, Susan Green and Andrew Orr.

The Rev. Canon Denis MacCarthy, Rector of Bandon Union, writes:

A little over three hundred people attended the Confirmation Service in St. Peter’s Church, Bandon to witness and support twenty five young people who came forward for confirmation. Those confirmed also included two from St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, who were presented by the Very Revd Nigel Dunne, Dean of Cork, and two from Ballydehob who were presented by their Rector, the Rev. Steve McCann.

It was a great family occasion and the biggest congregation we had since the beginning of the Covid pandemic. It was great to see so many familiar faces again and chat with some people we hadn’t met in a while.

The group of confirmands at St Peter’s Church, Bandon, with their Rectors and the Bishop. Photo: Andy Gibson.
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Children’s service with pizza for Moviddy Union

Posted on March 28, 2022 by mediaccr

On the afternoon of Sunday 13th March, a children’s service followed by pizza and treats took place in St Mark’s Church, Kilbonane, in Moviddy Union of Parishes. 

Pizza and treats after the service in St Mark’s, Kilbonane

The Rev. David Bowles, Rector of Moviddy Union, said:

It was great to see so many families enjoying worshipping together followed by fellowship and food in the churchyard afterwards.  Everyone got to design their own pizza, assisted by the Confirmation Class and other helpers.  It has been so long since we were able to meet together. The weather was lovely and everyone enjoyed our first children’s service since lockdown ended. We look forward to doing it again soon.

The children’s service at St Mark’s, Kilbonane
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Renovation work at Holy Trinity Church, Frankfield

Posted on March 25, 2022 by mediaccr

In recent weeks, Holy Trinity Church, Frankfield has undergone some renovation to preserve the fabric of the building. The church was built in 1838 is a preserved building in the Cork City Council records.

Scaffolding at Holy Trinity Church, Frankfield

Some background on the church…

Holy Trinity Church was built at the sole expense of Samuel Lane. The nave was designed by Sir Thomas Deane and a small chancel was added later by William Burges circa 1867. It was converted from an east vestry and has distinctive triple lancets.  

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage describes it in very positive terms as follows:

“Built by the renowned architects, Deane & Woodward, and commissioned by Samuel Lane, a member of an influential Cork family, this is an excellent nineteenth century church. The architectural design and detailing apparent in the building set it apart from other contemporary churches found in the county. The almost intact interior continues the careful design and execution seen on the exterior.”

Of special note are the stained glass windows in the sanctuary which were designed by William Burges. They represent the classical virtues. The modern stained glass windows in the south wall by James Scanlon were installed in the 1990s and were donated by the Kingston family.

Attractive East Window in Frankfield. More photos can be found here.

The repairs…

They include repointing the east and south-west walls to prevent damp penetration of the interior. Structural repairs are being made to the chimney and coping stones at the east end, the bell tower over the west wall, as well as re-slating the porch roof and repairing the ridge tiles. 

Stonework removed for repair
Original metal pins in the stonework almost completely rusted away

The Ven. Adrian Wilkinson, Rector of Douglas Union with Frankfield, comments:

This is a very significant restoration project for the parishioners of Holy Trinity Church, Frankfield. The church is unique in this Diocese in that it is a trustee church. To date the parishioners have been extremely generous and have donated just over €25k. 

We are also very grateful to the Cork City Council Heritage Department who reviewed the works on an ongoing basis and have provided €15k in grant aid, and to the Representative Church Body which has offered approx. €8k on completion of the works.

While the original contract was for €100k, additional works were needed and so the final expenditure will be approx. €130k. If anyone reading this would like to support this work financially, I would be delighted to hear from them.

Throughout the project, our builder Des Rainey of B & D Rainey from Swords, and our engineers Paul and John Hegarty of Cork based Fourem have been both professional and helpful. Once the scaffolding is removed, we hope that this small and very attractive place of worship in the southern suburbs of Cork will continue to be appreciated for many generations to come. We have services here every Sunday at 10am and all are welcome.

Inside Holy Trinity Church, Frankfield.
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