Put your name on a piece of parish history

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LOCAL people in Enniskeane are being given the chance to put their name on a piece of parish history by sponsoring the pipes of a pipe organ currently being  installed in Enniskeane's Church of the Immaculate Conception.

The organ was originally housed in the Sisters of Mercy Convent in Clonakilty which was its home from1878 until 2008 when the convent closed.

Built in 1866 in London by Bryceson Brothers and Ellis the organ was disassembled and stored in 2008 by Enniskeane parishioner Pádraig O'Donovan who remained committed to finding a new home for it.

Now he is installing it, following refurbishment, in Enniskeane parish church which has never housed a pipe organ in its 141-year history.

The gallery of Enniskeane church has been carefully reinforced using local skills before the organ installation began, without compromising the historic integrity of the church.

The fabric of the organ has also been restored to its original condition, the timber panels have been stripped and restored in Cork, the large main bellows has been rebuilt in England, the pipes have been revoiced by specialists in Belfast and the decorative stencilling has been redone in Clonakilty.

Now, the parishioners and friends of Enniskeane & Desertserges Parish are being invited to make this moment in the parish's history their own by sponsoring one of the organ's pipes.

Each pipe in the organ plays a unique note, some are made from wood while most are metal.

The 2012 Pipe Organ Sponsorship Programme involves dedicating each pipe in the organ to a named individual or family.

A pipe may be dedicated to a parishioner or to someone who is not a parishioner; it may be dedicated to someone who is living or it may be dedicated in memory of someone who has died.

A donation of €30 per pipe is requested and the parish will also record the name and address of the person(s) who has given the donation to sponsor the pipe(s).

The dedication and the sponsorship will both be recorded in the parish records and also printed in a special volume which will be stored in the organ gallery of the church.

The sponsor will receive a certificate in the post (showing which pipe has been dedicated) and a receipt for the donation.

You can sponsor a pipe either by sending a postal donation or online on the parish website.

Visit enniskeaneparish.ie for more detai

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Eric
KB7DQH

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But wait... There's more...

IT WILL cost them an estimated €40,000 – but, after nearly 150 years, the people of Enniskeane finally have a traditional pipe organ in their parish church.

The instrument, which would come with a €250,000 price tag if purchased as new, was originally in the Sisters of Mercy Convent in Clonakilty, which closed down in 2008.

Whether it was coincidence or providence – Enniskeane parish priest Fr Tom Hayes believes it was the latter – the 134-year-old organ was spotted by Enniskeane resident and accomplished musician Pádraig O'Donovan following the closure of the convent.

Committed to finding a new home for the organ, Pádraig is now installing it in Enniskeane parish church following refurbishment.

The major costs of the project constitute the purchase of new organ components, the upgrading of existing components and labour costs, as well as preparing the church itself to accommodate the organ, Fr Hayes explained.

The upstairs gallery of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, which first opened its doors in 1871, has had to be renovated and specially reinforced to accommodate the three-and-a-half ton instrument.

'We are basically raising money to help offset the cost, both of repairs to the organ and of refurbishing the gallery – in all about €40,000,' said Fr Hayes.

The organ replaces the smaller electric organ, which has been in the church for some 30 years:

'The old organ is nearing the end of its life-span,' he said, adding that although it had been customary to install an organ when the church was originally dedicated for worship in 1871, the people of the parish did not have enough money left over from the construction of the church to pay for one at the time. However, a few years later the Sisters of Mercy in Clonakilty commissioned a pipe organ for their new convent.

Built in London, the organ was transported to Clonakilty where it was installed and blessed in 1878 in the convent chapel – but now it has been moved to Enniskeane, where parishioners and friends of the Enniskeane and Desertserges parish are being invited to make history by sponsoring one of the organ's 622 pipes as part of the 2012 pipe organ sponsorship programme.

'Basically, we're inviting people from the parish and beyond to sponsor a pipe by dedicating a pipe to themselves or to a loved one for €30', said Fr Hayes.

The initiative, which will raise an estimated €18,000, will help pay for the work on the organ and on the church – further funds will be raised over time, and Fr Hayes is also investigating the possibility of securing grant aid.

'This is very much a heritage project – we're preserving part of the heritage of West Cork,' he said.



Renovation work

Significant work has been involved in the renovation of the instrument – the fabric of the organ has been restored to its original condition, while its timber panels have been stripped and restored.

The main bellows has been rebuilt in England (it will store and pump 40 cubic feet of air) and the pipes have been 're-voiced' by specialists in Belfast. The organ's decorative stencilling has been re-done in Clonakilty, while its installation in Enniskeane is in the hands of Pádraig O'Donovan.

'In a way what this organ is doing is bringing to completion the vision and ideas of the people who originally built Enniskeane Church in the years after the famine.'

Those who are interested can sponsor the pipe online by visiting the parish's new website, which went live just one week ago.'The main body of the organ was installed in the past few weeks and it is a very good fit for the church,' said Fr Hayes, who added that the instrument would be extremely useful to the three excellent choirs in the parish, and the many parishioners who were musically gifted.

'The organ will be a very significant asset to the parish for services and worship in the coming years. It will complement the performances of the choirs,' he said, adding that the instrument would provide a very different sound to its electronic predecessor.



More powerful

'The organ will have a wider range of sound. It is more powerful and people will really notice a difference.'

Originally the organ was powered by a 175kg bellows filled with air by a hand pump which had a long lever worked by one of the sisters while the organ was played! Air is now supplied to the organ bellows by an electric blower and the air to each of the pipes is also controlled by electric switches since the 1980s. All of these electrical components have since been upgraded.

Those who are extremely musical may even be able to distinguish which note is being played through which pipe, says Fr Hayes – and people who are musically gifted and who have sponsored a pipe may even identify their 'own' pipe, and their 'own' note, because each of the 622 pipes has a unique note.

To sponsor a pipe visit www.enniskeaneparish.ie and either print off, complete and post the sponsorship form or use the online donation facility.