St. Anne's Church, Shandon | |
---|---|
Eaglais Naomh Áine, An Seandún [1] | |
51°54′12″N08°28′34″W / 51.90333°N 8.47611°W | |
Location | Church Street, Cork |
Country | Ireland |
Denomination | Church of Ireland |
Website | shandonbells.ie |
History | |
Founded | 1726 (current structure) |
Dedication | Saint Anne |
Architecture | |
Functional status | active |
Style | vernacular [2] |
Specifications | |
Materials | limestone, sandstone, slate |
Administration | |
Diocese | Cork, Cloyne and Ross |
Parish | Cork, St. Anne's Shandon |
The Church of St Anne is a Church of Ireland church located in the Shandon district of Cork city in Ireland. Built between 1722 and 1726, it is situated on a hill overlooking the River Lee. The church tower is a noted landmark and symbol of the city, and the church bells were popularised in a 19th century song.
The name Shandon comes from the Irish, Sean Dún, meaning "old fort". A medieval church dedicated to St. Mary existed close to the site of this fort, and is mentioned in the decretals of Pope Innocent III in 1199 as "St. Mary on the Mountain". This church stood until the Williamite wars when it was destroyed during the siege of Cork (1690). In 1693 this was replaced by a church, also dedicated to St. Mary, and was located at the bottom of Mallow Lane, modern day Shandon Street. Due to population growth, it was decided to build anew on this ancient site and so in 1722 the present Church of St. Anne, Shandon was constructed.
The church of St. Anne attained full parochial status in 1772, when Rev. Arthur Hyde (great-great-grandfather of Dr. Douglas Hyde) was appointed its first Rector.
As it was built with two types of stone (red sandstone from the original Shandon Castle which stood nearby, and limestone taken from the derelict Franciscan Abbey which stood on the North Mall), some sources draw a connection between the red and white materials and the colours used to represent the city. [3] The distinct colours are recorded in a rhyme collected by 19th century antiquary Thomas Crofton Croker, which he attributes to 18th century Catholic priest and writer Father Arthur O'Leary:
Party-coloured, like the people,
Red and white stands Shandon Steeple— The Popular Songs of Ireland (1839) [4]
The church is noted for its 8 bells, [5] immortalised in the song "The Bells of Shandon" by Francis Sylvester Mahony. [6] The largest weighs a little over 1.5 tons and was originally cast by Abel Rudhall of Gloucester. To reduce vibration, they were placed in a fixed position. They first rang on 7 December 1752. They have been recast twice: in 1865 and 1906. [5] Today, visitors can climb to the first floor and ring the bells themselves, [7] via an Ellacombe apparatus.
The original inscriptions are retained on each bell:
The walls of the building are 2 m (7 ft) thick and the height to the tower is 36.5 m (120 ft). This is extended a further 15 m (50 ft) for the "pepper pot" adornment on the tower. The McOsterich family were involved with the design and erection of this tower and to this day a special privilege is afforded them. Whenever a member of the family marries, anywhere in the world, the bells ring out in their honour. On top of this pepper pot is a weather vane in the form of a salmon, representing the fishing of the River Lee.[ citation needed ]
The fish placed above the tower is mentioned in Cork band Five Go Down to the Sea?'s song "There's a fish on top of Shandon (swears he's Elvis)". [8]
The clock of the tower is known to Corkonians as "The Four Faced Liar" because, depending on the angle of the viewer, and the effects of wind on the hands on a given face, the time may not appear to correspond perfectly on each face. [9] Due to maintenance issues, the clock was stopped in 2013, but plans to fund repair were agreed in May 2014, [10] and the clock restarted in September 2014. [9]
The christening font, dated 1629, is a relic from the church destroyed in the siege of Cork in 1690 and bears the inscription, "Walter Elinton and William Ring made this pant [lower-alpha 1] at their charges". Within is a pewter bowl dated 1773.
The Red Abbey in Cork, Ireland was a 14th-century Augustinian abbey which took its name from the reddish sandstone used in construction. Today all that remains of the structure is the central bell tower of the abbey church, which is one of the last remaining visible structures dating to the medieval walled town of Cork.
Thomas Crofton Croker was an Irish antiquary, best known for his Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland (1825–1828), and who also showed considerable interest in Irish song and music.
Francis Sylvester Mahony, also known by the pen name Father Prout, was an Irish humorist and journalist.
Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral is a Gothic Revival three-spire Church of Ireland cathedral in the city of Cork. It is located on the south bank of the River Lee and dedicated to Finbarr of Cork, patron saint of the city. Formerly the sole cathedral of the Diocese of Cork, it is now one of three co-cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Christian use of the site dates back 7th-century AD when, according to local lore, Finbarr of Cork founded a monastery. The original building survived until the 12th century, when it either fell into disuse or was destroyed during the Norman invasion of Ireland. Around 1536, during the Protestant Reformation, the cathedral became part of the established church, later known as the Church of Ireland. The previous building was constructed in the 1730s, but was widely regarded as plain and featureless.
Ballintemple is a suburb of Cork city, Ireland. The village is situated on the east side of the city with its limits extending to the River Lee and the village of Blackrock further to the east. Originally, Ballintemple was a separate village but today it has been enclosed by the city.
The county colours of an Irish county are the colours of the kit worn by that county's representative team in the inter-county competitions of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the most important of which are the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Fans attending matches often wear replica jerseys, and wave flags and banners in the county colours. In the build-up to a major match, flags and bunting are flown or hung from cars, buildings, telegraph poles, and other fixtures across the county, especially in those regions where GAA support is strong.
Shandon is a district on the north-side of Cork city. Shandon lies north of the River Lee and North Gate Bridge, the northernmost point of the medieval city. Several landmarks of Cork's north-side are located in the area, including the bell tower of the Church of St Anne, the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne, Saint Mary’s Dominican Church & Priory, and Firkin Crane Arts Centre.
St Mary's Church lies between the village of Rostherne and Rostherne Mere in Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Knutsford. Its benefice is united with that of Holy Trinity, Bollington.
St Bartholomew's Church is in the village of Church Minshull, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the deanery of Nantwich. Its benefice is combined with those of St Mary, Acton, St David, Wettenhall, and St Oswald, Worleston.
Richard Caulfield (1823–1887) was secretary, librarian and custodian of the Royal Cork Institution and librarian for Queen's College, Cork.
The North Infirmary was the first general hospital to be opened in Cork. Originally holding only 24 beds, it eventually expanded to 115 beds. It was used as a fever hospital during the famine, housed Irish soldiers wounded in the First World War and covertly treated wounded Republicans during the War of Independence. The infirmary closed its doors on 26 November 1987, and is now a hotel.
Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 cast more than 5,000 bells.
The Church of St. Augustine and St. John, commonly known as John's Lane Church, is a large Roman Catholic Church located on Thomas Street, Dublin, Ireland. It was opened in 1874 on the site of the medieval St. John's Hospital, founded c. 1180. It is served by the Augustinian Order.
St Mary's Church in the village of Purton in north Wiltshire, England, is an active Church of England parish church in the Diocese of Bristol. A large building begun in the 13th century and one of only three churches in England to have both a western tower and a central spire, it has been designated as a Grade I listed building by English Heritage.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Anne, also known as Saint Mary's Cathedral, The North Cathedral or The North Chapel, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located at the top of Shandon Street in Cork, Ireland. It is the seat of the Bishop of Cork and Ross, and the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cork and Ross. Its name derived from the fact that it encompassed the ecclesiastical parish of St. Mary and the civil parish of St. Anne.
South Parish is the name given to both a Roman Catholic parish of Cork City and to the residential area contained within it.
Shandon Street, formerly known as Mallow Lane, is a street in the Shandon area of Cork City, Ireland and is a retail area on the North-Side of Cork city.
John Murphy was an Irish bellfounder. His foundry, which started making bells in 1843, cast bells for many churches in Ireland and elsewhere, including several rings of bells hung for change ringing.
Shandon Castle, originally known as Lord Barry's Castle, was an early medieval castle in the Shandon area of Cork city in Ireland. It was built in the late 12th century by Philip de Barry, close to an earlier ringfort. Located outside the city's gates and defensive walls, the castle was a seat of the Cambro-Norman de Barry family for several centuries.
St Peter's Church, Ballymodan is an Anglican Gothic Revival church located in Ballymodan, Bandon, County Cork, Ireland. It was completed in 1849. It is part of the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross. It is a middle-pointed, cruciform church.
the taste of the architect of Shandon steeple led him to [construct] three sides of his work of white, and the remaining side of red stone; a circumstance which has occasioned many local jokes and observations, the most memorable of which are some rhymes commencing — "Party-coloured, like the people, Red and white stands Shandon steeple," said to have been addressed to Dr. Woodward, bishop of Cloyne, by the famous Father O'Leary.