Pew Sheet – 5th September 2021

Deirdre Whitley writes ‘This is a reminder to all M.U. members and parishioners that ‘Mums in May’ is still happening in our Diocese with Hilary Dring our Diocesan President already started on her “21 in 21” 5 km walks, in each parish where there are M.U. members. She is being given a send off on Wednesday 8th Sept. from St. Mary’s Church after the Holy Communion Service at 10.30 a.m. with Canon Elaine. Mums in May provides grants for local M.U. projects across Ireland. If anyone in the parish would like to donate, we would be very grateful. Please contact Deirdre (0862612442) or Hilary (0863680513). It would be lovely if Hilary had a few friends/members who would like to walk the 5 km that day with her, around Carrigaline, to help with the sponsorship for members and others in need.

June Butler, our All Ireland M.U. President, has already set a high standard by visiting and walking 21 km in each of the twelve dioceses North and South over this year, despite the Pandemic.
“21 in 21” is how she also describes it. A wonderful initiative for a very worthy cause, introduced every three years. ‘

Random Notes CCCXCIV

The Forster and Andrews organ in St John’s Church, Monkstown will be 150 years old next year. James Alderson Forster and Joseph King Andrews opened their organ building business in Hull in 1843.

The enterprise developed and became one of the most successful in the North of England until closing in 1969. St John’s Church was completed in 1832 at a cost of £950 and Lewis’ topographical directory of 1837 refers to “…a fine organ and gallery…”. It is believed that the organ referred to at this date was actually in the gallery, and was either sold or given to St Colman’s Church, Farahy where an annual Diocesan Service is held to commemorate Elizabeth Bowen who lived at the adjacent house – Bowen’s Court. This organ is still in situ at Farahy, but of a ruinous condition.

On 15^th March 1872, the Forster and Andrews partnership received on order from Mr Perrott of “Thorncliffe”, Monkstown. The order was for a single manual organ consisting of seven stops, a 16ft Bourdon pedal stop and one coupler.

A specific instruction on the order was that the organ should not exceed nine feet in width, and a note on the bottom of the order instructs the deliverer that “…Monkstown is 8 ½ miles from Cork and 2 miles from Passage terminus…” It would appear therefore that the organ was shipped to Cork city and then brought by train to Passage West as the railway had not yet extended to Monkstown. On 28^th July 1872 the order book confirms that the delivery was opened by a Miss Townsend.

The organ was originally positioned in the east transept.

At some stage a new extension was added to the church, specifically to house an additional manual to the organ and to feed a water pump to blow the bellows. The remains of the water pump are still behind the organ but were replaced with an electric blower sometime in the mid twentieth century.