Cathedral Quarter column: The Ghosts of St Eunan’s Cathedral
‘We are blessed that there is such a magnificent structure on the top of Church Lane as it makes our task easier in developing a historical quarter’
Last Friday, the Elusive Theatre put on a Living History walk of St Eunan’s Cathedral for Culture Night to mark the 125th anniversary of its opening.
The Ghosts of St Eunan’s Cathedral was written by local historian and playwright Kieran Kelly and different characters gave their perspective about Letterkenny’s most famous landmark.
We certainly hope that there will be other opportunities for putting on this performance again. Prior to Culture Night, I went on a guided tour of St Eunan’s Cathedral with sacristans Hugh and Elizabeth McCauley.
The building itself is truly fascinating with a very distinguished history and the story of its construction is remarkable given the times in which it is built. We even got the opportunity to go up to the bell towers where you get spectacular views of all parts of the town.
Hugh and Elizabeth had given the tour a number of times this year to mark the milestone of its 125th anniversary. Should you get the opportunity to go on the guided tour, I would highly recommend that you do so.
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We are blessed that there is such a magnificent structure on the top of Church Lane as it makes our task easier in developing a historical quarter.
But we do hope that the powers that be proceed with the burial of the overhead wires of the street as once that is done, it will give the area a whole new dimension.
An Taisce
I recently gave a delegation from Ireland National’s National Trust, An Taisce, a tour of the Cathedral Quarter that included our office. An Taisce was on a two-day field trip to Donegal and among the group was its chairperson Terri Morrissey and CEO Gary Freemantle. They visited Glenveagh National on their first day where they bumped into the President Catherine Connolly who was on a private holiday. I was invited to dinner with them at the Station House Hotel which was followed by presentations to local An Taisce members Noel Foley, Ann McGowan and Tony Murray.
As mentioned, the following morning, the delegation took the Cathedral Quarter Jaunt which started at the bottom of the Market Square. The Jaunt then stops at Castle Street, St Eunan’s Cathedral, Conwal Parish Church before finishing at the Jim Lynch Mural outlining why the area is historical and the steps we are taking so it becomes more widely known.
I learnt a lot about An Taisce and the vital role that they play in the planning process as they are guardians of our heritage and only intervene if a proposed development is in contravention of legislation.
Locally, the late May McClintock played a crucial role in stopping development that would have harmed Letterkenny and we are the better for it.
Literary Festival donations
Our flagship event – the Literary Festival is just around the corner taking place from Tuesday, October 13 to Sunday 13.This is the eleventh edition of the Festival and it is our most ambitious to date. Unfortunately, while the profile of the festival is growing, the level of funding with the Small Festival Grant remains static.
We are using our Development Fund Initiative to make up the shortfall but that still won’t be enough to cover the costs. Our hope was to secure one large sponsor but our committee is small and we didn’t succeed.
We are thankful to all the businesses and local representatives who have sponsored the individual events. If any individual or business would like to give us a contribution towards our costs, please get in touch either via social media or ring 086 345 2457. We are very grateful for every donation.