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From the House of Lords to lead valley’s in Clones
Friday the 2nd of October is a day that will be remembered in the history
of Clones parish. That evening, 120 individuals gathered in the Peers’ Dining
Room in the House of Lords in London for a fundraising dinner in aid of St
Tighernach’s Church, Clones. The dinner was kindly hosted by Lord and
Lady Laird of Artigarvan. Some of those who attended had travelled across
the water from one island to another: there were parishioners and guests
from both southern and northern Ireland. Other guests came from various parts
of England, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, and even as far as from Pakistan! Who
would ever have thought that people of so many nationalities, from so many
different places and walks of life would meet such a significant building
in support of a small Church of Ireland parish in Co Monaghan.
What a superb evening it was. We started with a guided tour of the Palace
of Westminster and we saw the beauty and splendour of an extraordinary building.
Lord Laird brought life to the building through his insights, knowledge and
sense of humour that gave us all a sense of history. Before we sat down for
a wonderful dinner we enjoyed listing to Mr Johan Löfving, a talented
classic guitarist. As the evening unfolded we were entertained by the excellent
male choir Ulricae Drängar whose repertoire spanned from classic to
barbershop; Scottish Highland Dancers who showed us what dancing is like
at its best; and as the evening came to its close, we were sent off by the
Luton and Bedford Lambeg Drumming Club. In between these musical highlights
there were some speeches. Lord Laird made a speech, stating his and his wife’s
support for the appeal and encouraged all present to continue their support
for St Tighernach’s Fundraising Appeal. Mrs Christine Rusk, a parishioner
of Clones and Principal of Newtonbutler Primary School, declaimed an amusing
poem. The rector of the parish, Revd Helene T. Steed also made a speech about
the appeal and why the parish wants to restore our church. She also expressed
the parish’s great appreciation for all the support Lord and Lady Laird
has shown, their willingness to host the dinner and for making us feel so
welcome to Parliament.
from left to right: Mrs Perry Keating, Revd Helene T. Steed, Mr John Keating, Mr Cyril Rusk, Mrs Christine Rusk and Lord John Larid of Artigarvan
The dinner has raised a substantial amount of money. At the time of writing, after costs have been deducted, the event has raised over €10,000! A fantastic sum. Clones parish would like to express our sincere thanks to all who have kindly given donations to our appeal at the time of the dinner. It means a great deal to have support from outside the parish and the town. The people of Clones cannot achieve the restoration of this much loved church and landmark on our own. We need help and support from outside. Thank you for your support so far, as well as hope for your generosity in days to come.
What we have raised at this dinner, has now given us confidence to begin some of the most necessary work on the church. During the next few weeks we hope to begin the work on the roof, replacing the lead in the valleys on the roof and make the ceiling on the south side of the church safe again.
However, our fundraising efforts do not end here. Over the next six months, we have planed the following:
· On November the 9th at 7.00 p.m. Bishop Michael Jackson will open an exhibition about St Tighernach’s church in the town library. The exhibition, ‘St Tighernach’s then and now’ will picture the church’s history as well as illustrate the present and the future. Mrs Hazel Siberry and Mr Raymond Strong are assembling the exhibition.
· At same time of the opening of the exhibition, we will also launch the campaign: ‘Help us to raise one million 10cent/pence coins for St Tighernach’s Church’. The campaign runs between November and St Tighernach’s day on the 4th of April, which is also Easter day. We are confident that we will reach our target: one million coins. 10% of what we raise in this campaign, we will donate to the Clogher Diocese Holy Land Medical Relief Fund.
· Late May, early June we will run a Golf Classic
· And when the Irish summer arrives, we will arrange a Charity Cycle event.
We as a parish would love to welcome you to any of these events. Clones is known for its hospitality. Come and visit Clones, meet its people and we are sure you will have a great time.
For more information about the Church or any of our events, please contact Revd Helene T. Steed, tel: +353 – (0)47 – 56962 or email: helene.steed@yahoo.com