Cathedral bells ring in time for Christmas

Cork’s North Cathedral bells rung out across the city for the first time in 56 years on Saturday, marking a new chapter in the life of the church.

The bells of the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne were recently rededicated and rung for the first time after 5pm mass on Saturday, December 17, alongside the installation of new outside lighting.

Bishop Fintan Gavin, Diocese of Cork and Ross, with Fr Eoin Casey (OP), Fr Sean Crowley, and Canon John O’Donovan blessed the bells at a special mass, and the Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Deirdre Forde attended.

The bells gradually fell into disrepair and by 1966 only one bell remained working. Sometime later this bell too was put to rest.

The nine bells, which were first commissioned in 1869, were a familiar sound that announced the ordination of bishops and priests, weddings, first communions, confirmations, Sunday Masses, the Angelus, and funeral Masses for nearly 100 years.

Work began in 2019 on the nine bells. Some €170,000 was raised thanks to an ambitious fundraising campaign supported by personal donations, sponsorships, the parish lotto, and parish donations.

The cathedral worked alongside architects, engineers, and bell experts to complete the extensive restoration project.

The two most important parts of the project are remedial works on the timber support structure and restorative works on the bells themselves. The final ambition to bring the vision for the project fully to fruition is to make the tower accessible to parishioners and visitors in the future.

Speaking of the rededication of the bells, Canon John O’Donovan, administrator of the cathedral said: “We are grateful to everyone who has helped bring this project to life over the past three years. The outpouring of support from the parishes and the people of the area is a testament to the maintaining of the heritage of this important building to the city of Cork.

“It is fantastic for the children and grandchildren of those who heard them last to hear the bells ring again,” he said.