‘An erudite and impressive blog ... An engaging page’

Receiving one of two prizes in the Communications Competition from the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Richard Clarke, at this year’s General Synod (Photograph: Lynn Glanville, 2013)

Patrick Comerford

This blog and my Facebook page both received prizes in the Church Of Ireland Communications Competition at the General Synod in Armagh this year [2013]. The prizes were announced by Bishop Trevor Williams of Limerick and Killaloe, and presented by Archbishop Richard Clarke of Armagh.

The competition was organised by the Church of Ireland Press Office but was judged externally by media professionals working in the field of church communications. In the areas of blogs and social media, the competition was looking to see how churches, church organisations and members engaged with the huge developments in social networking, and the organisers said “communications activity continues to increase markedly in these areas.”

In the “Blogs” Category, this blog was “Highly Commended.” The judges described this Blog in these words: “An erudite and impressive blog, both in terms of the scope and the frequency of posts. Lots of thought has gone into this blog and its shows. Extremely detailed. Excellent use of photos. Easy-to-use archives and search engine. Well done.”

First Place went to the Revd Chris Bennett Down and Dromore for his blog, http://www.the-dock-org The judges said: “A wonderful, innovative example of how social media can be used in a church context. An attractive, thought–provoking and enticing blog. Fantastic use of video and images. User–friendly and welcoming. Keep going!”

The Runner Up was the Revd Stanley Monkhouse for his blog: http://ramblingrector.wordpress.com The judges said: “An engaging and compelling blog voice on theology and everyday life. Cultivates readership. Good use of photos. Consistency in form and style. User–friendly archiving. Great job!”

In the “Social Media” Category, my Facebook page was Runner–Up. The judges said of my Facebook page: “An engaging page. Patrick Comerford’s outreach on social media is admirable. He shares his theological and cultural knowledge in a way that is accessible to others, and this is reflected by his social media following.”

First Place went to Facebook Page of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. The judges described it: “A fantastic Facebook page. Informative: not only of Cathedral’s events but also of Cathedral’s history. Outstanding photography. The strength of this page is also reflected in the number of ‘Likes’ it has received so far.”

The Twitter Stream of Saint Werburgh’s Church, Dublin, was “Highly commended.” The judges said: “An excellent example of how to use Twitter. St Werburgh’s Church Twitter stream shows a high level of engagement with others (through retweets; tweets to others and the number of people the church follows) as well as informing others of the church’s events, offering reflections and engaging with current affairs. A good number of followers too.”

In his Presidential address at the General Synod on Thursday [9 May 2013], Archbishop Richard Clarke said: “Much of the actual delivering of the Gospel is effected at what we tend to call ‘local level’, in the work, worship and witness of local communities – clergy and people collaborating and working together – this is very true of church communications work too and the competition demonstrates how entrants put enormous effort into communicating effectively within their own contexts.”

The judges praised the submissions in each category, with clear evidence of communication work of a very high standard reaching right across the island.

The full list of prize-winners is:

Parish magazines/newsletters:

• First prize: Union Focus (Naas Union of Parishes)
• Runner Up: Rossory News

Diocesan magazines:

• First Prize: N:Vision (Derry and Raphoe)
• Runner-Up: Connections (Connor)
• Highly Commended: Newslink (Limerick and Killaloe)

‘Other’ organisations Printed Publications:

• First place: Friends News (Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin)
• Joint Runners Up: Links (Mothers’ Union, Dublin and Glendalough) and Focus (All Ireland Mothers’ Union)

Parish Websites:

• First place: Lisburn Cathedral (Connor)
• Runner Up: Booterstown and Carysfort Parish (Dublin)
• Highly Commended: Saint Augustine’s Parish (Derry)

Diocesan websites:

• First place: Derry and Raphoe
• Runner Up: Down and Dromore
• Highly Commended: Down and Dromore Youth and Children

‘Other’ affiliated organisations websites:

• First place: Saint Patrick’s Cathedral (Dublin)
• Runner Up: The Dock (Belfast)

Social Media:

First Place: Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, Facebook Page
Runner–up: Canon Patrick Comerford’s Facebook Page
Highly commended: St Werburgh’s Church, Dublin Twitter Stream

Blogs

First Place: Revd Chris Bennett (Down and Dromore)
Runner Up: Revd W Stanley Monkhouse
Highly Commended: Canon Patrick Comerford

Strolling around the Mall and the Georgian and Victorian architecture of Armagh

They were getting The Mall ready this morning for cricket this afternoon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

Patrick Comerford

During this year’s General Synod, on my way between the Charlemont Arms Hotel, where I have been staying, and the Armagh City Hotel, which was the venue for the General Synod this year, I have enjoyed my strolls back and forth through the streets of this charming cathedral and market town, enjoying some beautiful architecture and streetscapes.

This morning, I turned from English Street into College Street, and walked along the Mall, taking a note of some more of my favourite architectural works in Armagh.

The Mall or Commons has been central to the leisure activities of people in Armagh for over 200 years.

In 1765, Richard Robinson arrived in Armagh as the new Archbishop. John Wesley once accused Robinson of being more interested in buildings than in the care of souls, but the new archbishop set about rebuilding Armagh, with a vision of redeveloping Armagh as a city to rival Dublin.

The Commons was once used as a race track and for horsefairs (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

The Commons had been used from 1731 as a horse-racing track and for horse fairs, but this did not fit in with the Primate’s vision for his new city. He bought up the site, and made a gift of the new mall to the citizens of Armagh as a public walkway.

Over the years, the tree-lined promenade became an area for cricket, football and rugby. This morning in the rain this expansive grassy area in the heart of Archbishop Robinson’s primatial city, was being prepared painstakingly for an afternoon’s cricket match.

The Mall is home to Armagh Cricket Club, and this appeared to be such a natural use as I walked along The Mall this morning, that I was surprised to learn that the first recorded match here was as late as 1966, when Ulster Country played Munster. The ground hosted an international match in 2005, when Denmark beat the US by 96 runs.

The Courthouse, built between 1806 and 1809, was designed by Francis Johnston (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

The Courthouse at the northern end is probably the most striking building on The Mall, Built between 1806 and 1809, the Courthouse was designed by Francis Johnston, who also designed the General Post Office in Dublin. The Courthouse was completely rebuilt in the mid-1960s. Further restoration work was carried out in 1993 after a 1,000 lb bomb exploded directly outside, causing major structural damage to the roof, façade and walls.

The latest extensive reconstruction and enlargement cost £8 million and the courthouse was officially opened by the Lord Chancellor in 1999.

the Sovereign’s House is now the Museum of the Royal Irish Fusiliers (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

Nearby, on the north-east corner of The Mall, the Sovereign’s House was first built as the residence of the Sovereign or Mayor of Armagh. The house was almost destroyed by car bombings in 1990s, but has since been restored sensitively was restored recently and is now houses the Museum of the Royal Irish Fusiliers.

Saint Mark’s Church is hidden away at the top of a tree-lined avenue (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

Saint Mark’s Church on the east side of The Mall is hidden away at the top of a tree-lined avenue. Saint Mark’s, which is the parish church of Armagh, dates from 1811. It too was designed by Francis Johnston, who designed so many other public buildings in Armagh.

My firend Canon John McKegney, who invited me to preach here on Good Friday 2011, is due to retire as the Rector of Armagh in a few weeks time.

Charlemont Place ... an impressive terrace of three-storey houses built almost 200 years ago (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

Beside the entrance to Saint Mark’s, Charlemont Place is an impressive terrace of three-storey houses built almost 200 years ago. This terrace of houses was built around 1830 but was badly damaged by a car bomb in recent violence. Since then, the terrace of houses has been restored lovingly by the Southern Library and Education Board.

Armagh County Museum dates from 1834 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)


On the other side of the entrance to Saint Mark’s is the Armagh County Museum. This was first built as a schoolhouse in 1834, and may have been designed by William Murray.

The ‘Venetian Gothic’ former Masonic Hall is now Armagh Gospel Hall (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

On the western side of The Mall is the former Masonic Hall, built in 1884 in a combination of architectural styles. The architect James Fullerton mixed “Venetian Gothic” and “Romanesque Revival” styles, providing fancy brickwork, conical and spiky spires, towers and turrets with dormers, Syrian arching and a rose window.

It is so ornate that it seems incongruous that a building like this serves today as a Gospel Hall. Sadly, it is not usually open to the public except at service times.

Armagh First Presbyterian Church on the corner of The Mall and Russell Street is in the Gothic Revival style (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

Beside it, on the corner of The Mall and Russell Street, stands the First Presbyterian Church, a Gothic Revival Church built in the 1870s, but with a story that goes back to 1673, when the minister was the Revd Archibald Hamilton.

From1673 to 1722, the original congregation worshipped in the old Meeting House off English Street. A new church was built in Abbey Street in 1722, and continued in use until 1879. The building was recently incorporated into the Saint Patrick’s Trian Heritage Centre.

The foundation stone for the present church was laid in 1878 and the building was completed in the following year. This Gothic Revival church is an unusual style for Presbyterian churches. It is an immense, cathedral-like edifice, with four arched entrances at its West Mall elevation, pronounced buttressing and a tower, with a graceful, octagonal spire that is 56.4 metres high.

There is a profusion of pinnacles and pointed arches, and carvings in the shape of vines, acorns, scrolls and even a monkey, cast-iron railings and a wide flight of 11 stone steps leading to the entrance doors. The pipe organ was the first pipe organ to be played in a Presbyterian church in Co Armagh.

The Mall Presbyterian Church dates back to a split in the 1830s and is sometimes still known as the Scotch Church (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

Further along the north side of The Mall, The Mall Presbyterian Church was formed in 1837 after a rift within 1st Armagh Presbyterian Church over the political and theological views of the minister, the Revd PS Henry. Sixty families formed the Second Armagh Presbyterian Church, which built a new church in the style of a classical preaching barn.

The new church opened in 1840 as the Scotch Church. But in the same year, the Synod of Ulster and the Secession Synod united to form the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the Secession Church in Abbey Street, which was older than the new church on The Mall, became ‘Second Armagh,’ while ‘The Mall’ became ‘Third Armagh.’

The second and third congregations were united in 1916, and today this church is known as The Mall Presbyterian Church, although the façade retains the name of the Scotch Church. The Revd Peter Gamble has been the minister since 2005.

The care of the Mall passed into the hands of the Mall Trustees, and by 2003 a partnership was formed with Armagh City and District Council.

The Heritage Lottery Fund granted an award for refurbishment aimed at updating the facilities of The Mall without losing its unique character. In 2005, The Mall won the Civic Trust Award and the Irish Architecture Award.

This morning's walk around The Mall left me yearning on my way to the Synod for more sunshine and more cricket this summer ... when summer arrives.

Welcoming ecumenical guests at the General Synod in Armagh

The President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, Revd Ken Lindsay, addressing the General Synod in Armagh

Patrick Comerford

One of my roles at the General Synod of the Church of Ireland in Armagh this year was as one of the hosts for the ecumenical guests.

It was a particular pleasure to be sitting with the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Revd Ken Lindsay, this morning when the General Synod cleared the way for the Covenant Council’s Bill on the inter-changeability of ministries between the Church of Ireland the Methodist Church in Ireland.

The Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Richard Clarke, said that the proposal allowing for the introduction of a special Bill at next year’s General Synod [2014] may be the most significant thing done at this Synod. “We are blazing a trail for other Churches,” he told the General Synod.

The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Michael Jackson, said the Churches were now entering a more concrete situation where we can move forward together.

Motion 20 allows for a Special Bill to be brought to the General Synod in 2014 on the inter-changeability of ministry between the Church of Ireland and the Methodist Church in Ireland. It was proposed by the Dean of Cork, the Very Revd Nigel Dunne

After lunch, the Revd Ken Lindsay, President of the Methodist Church, spoke at the final session of synod, when he said he was looking forward to bringing back news of the overwhelming support for the inter-changeability of ministry. “I came as an outsider and I’m going away as one of you,” he said.

The Ven Shirley Griffiths, Archdeacon of St Asaph, who was the visitor from the Church in Wales, she said she had found this year’s General Synod a very interesting meeting because the Church of Ireland was grappling with the same issues as the Church in Wales, including rural issues, financial issues, ministerial issues.

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin’s ecumenical adviser, Father Kieran McDermott, who was also a visitor this year, brought warm greetings from the Roman Catholic Church this morning. Referring to Archbishop Clarke’s presidential address, in which we were reminded of the effects of poverty on society, particularly on children, Father Ciaran said this should be a priority for churches and it should exercise the churches into action. “It is a mark of a functioning society that children can grow up to become possible – to become the person God created them to be,” he said.

The guests and visitors from other churches at the General Synod this year were:

Father Kieran McDermott and Father Pádraig Murphy, the Roman Catholic Church; the Ven Shirley Griffiths, Archdeacon of St Asaph, the Church in Wales; the Revd Kenneth Lindsay, President, and Mr John Buchanan, the Methodist Church in Ireland; the Very Revd Dr Ivan Patterson, former moderator, and Mr Eddie Megaw, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland; the Revd Sarah Groves, the Moravian Church of Britain and Ireland; Father Hegomen Athanasius George, the Coptic Orthodox Church in Ireland; and Pastor Eva Peper, the Lutheran Church in Ireland.

The annual media awards were presented by Archbishop Clarke immediately after lunch this afternoon. In the ‘Social Media’ category, my Facebook page was runner-up; in the ‘Blogs’ category, this blog was ‘Highly Commended.’

Strolling through the streets of Armagh

The sanctuary and choir of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh ... the venue for last night’s General Synod Eucharist (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

Patrick Comerford

Each day while I am staying in Armagh for the General Synod of the Church of Ireland, I have pleasant strolls through the streets of Armagh between the Charlemont Arms Hotel in English Street and the Armagh City Hotel on Friary Road on the other side of this compact cathedral and market town.

Six of the ‘Seven Houses’ surviving on English Street (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

Next door to the Charlemont Arms Hotel is a terrace of Georgian houses known locally as the “Seven Houses,” although the first of these houses was demolished in recent years so that only six are left standing.

The first and now missing house was built in 1770 by Dean Averell for the eldest of his seven sisters, and the other six houses – the ones still standing – followed in quick succession as home for the other six sisters. One of the houses is now the De Averell House, a licensed guest house and restaurant where some other synod members are staying.

The doorcase of the First Trust Bank shows strong art noveau influences (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

Across the street, on the corner with Abbey Street, the First Trust Bank has an extravagant doorcase, designed by Watt and Tulloch, that displays strong art noveau influences.

The facade of the former Belfast Bank, designed by Charles Lanyon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

A little further down English Street, the Saint Patrick’s Trian Visitor Complex, which tells the stories of Saint Patrick, Armagh, the Book of Armagh and the Land of Lilliput, incorporates the former Belfast Bank building. This building was designed by the well-known Belfast architect, Charles Lanyon, and the facade retains many of his rich decorative designs.

The elaborate baroque doorcase of the former Post Office in Russell Street (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

Opposite the former bank, Russell Street leads down to Armagh’s elegant Mall. But almost unnoticed on the north side of Russell Street is the former Post Office with its elaborate baroque doorcase.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, seen from Market Street and Market Square (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

But instead of going down to Mall these past two days, I have continued along English Street, to the junction with Market Street, where there is a pleasant view through Market Square back up to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. The Celtic Cross in Market Square is a modern decoration, but the fragments of an 11th century Celtic Cross can be seen in the cathedral grounds.

Looking back towards Saint Patrick’s Cathedral from Scotch Street (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

There is another picturesque view of the cathedral from Scotch Street.

The striking design on the front of the former Ulster Gazette office in Scotch Street might have been inspired by Bertie Bassett (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

A curious building on Scotch Street is the former offices of the Ulster Gazette, painted in thick black and white stripes that might have been inspired by Bertie Bassett and his liquorice all sorts.

Patrick’s Fold, originally known as Dobbin’s House, was designed by Francis Johnston (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

Further down Scotch Street, I was intrigued by the name of an elegant Georgian-style town house, now known as Patrick’s Fold. It was originally known as Dobbin’s House in the early 19th century, and was designed by the architect Francis Johnston for Leonard Dobbin, MP for Armagh, mill-owner and banker.

Around the corner is Dobbin Street, also named after Leonard Dobbin. But by now I have arrived at Armagh City Hotel.

If the rain holds off tomorrow, I may get a chance to walk along the Mall.

Speaking on Christian Unity and Dialogue at the General Synod

Speaking to the report of the Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue at the General Synod of the Church of Ireland this morning (Photograph: Liam MacArdle)

Speaking to the report of the Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue at the General Synod of the Church of Ireland this morning [Thursday 9 May 2013], I said:

Archbishops, Bishops, Members of Synod,

For some years now, it has become a common and popular question to ask whether we are living in an “ecumenical winter.”

Once again this year, I am one of the synod members who have been asked to welcome and offer your hospitality to our ecumenical guests. It may appear to some of you that this a polite but nevertheless a mere formality, one of those processes that we go through year after year, listening politely to what they have to say, perhaps asking them a polite question or two in the hotel corridors, reminding them of boring facts about a Presbyterian uncle, or a Methodist cousin, or how strange we felt when we visited a Coptic Church or a Quaker meeting house in a remote or exotic holiday location.

The reality is that away from this main hall and the corridors, away from the formal welcomes and the polite introductions, we have been getting on really well with one another, and indeed some of us are – without being effuse about it – old friends, who have worked with one another and have known one another for many years.

It’s a truism that we share more in common than there are barriers that divide us. That goes without saying.

But when it comes to us, to each other, to us as members of the General Synod – we can, so often, descend into finding – and picking at – what divides us. Please ask yourself whether any of our divisions that we are so conscious of more important than the things that divide us?

The command to love God and to love one another?

The love the Crucified Christ shows to each one of us?

Our common baptism?

Or, to be more reductionist but nevertheless practical, our shared membership of the Church of Ireland and our shared, common identity as Anglicans?

And, even if physically I am not pointing a finger, mentally you may by now be imagining I am pointing a finger. So let me confess, that every time I consider our failures in General Synod to show that love, I have to remind myself of that old saying from Ray Davey and the Corrymeela Community, “Every time you point a finger at someone, remember four other fingers are pointing back at you.”

Every time I point a finger at someone – in this General Synod, in the Church of Ireland, in the Anglican Communion – four other fingers are pointing back at me. The truth is, we are all expert hands when it comes to pointing fingers.

We probably invest more energy into our relationship with other Churches than we do when it comes to our relationships within our dioceses, within the Church of Ireland, within the wider Anglican Communion.

So, logically, Anglican Affairs are an equal and important part of the agenda for the Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue, alongside Ecumenical Affairs, alongside Ecumenical Affairs, Interfaith relations, and monitoring our place within all that happens in Europe.

The Revd Darren McCallig, who is seconding this report and Motion No 26, is going to speak on Interfaith relations, and some of the interesting work that is going on in this area.

When it comes to Ecumenical Affairs, could I draw your attention to those parts of the report in particular that refer to the exciting new dialogue that has opened up with the Moravian Church [p. 330] and to put work as a Church within the Porvoo Communion [pp 329-330], which includes conferences and consultations in Turku on migration, and in Edinburgh and Dublin on diakonia and diaconal ministry.

In addition, as part of the work of the commission, and mainly through the energies of one of our secretaries, the Revd Niall Sloane, has also created a directory of Anglican, Porvoo, ecumenical and inter–faith links, which is available at this website address: www.ireland.anglican.org/ccud/directory

But our inter-Anglican relations are important too. I am among those who think that the divisions within Anglicanism are not only a sad scandal, but are also a barrier to effective mission. No matter where I stand on the current debates that are dividing Anglicanism, I have to ask myself what I am doing to promote the mission of the Church, what am I doing to promote unity within the Anglicanism I love and that I love being a part of?

One of the most effective examples of the way unity and mission come together in the sphere of Anglican affairs is provided in the recent work that was carried out at the meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-15), where the Church of Ireland was represented by my colleague at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, the Revd Dr Maurice Elliott.
The ACC is one of the four instruments of communion in the Anglican Communion – alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primates’ Meeting and the Lambeth Conference. And lest you think ill of meetings such as the Anglican Consultative Council, lest you think of international gatherings such as this as being irrelevant to the life, witness and mission of the Church of Ireland, let me tell you a little of some of its work.

The ACC meeting revised the five marks of mission to so that the Fourth Mark of Mission now reads: “To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation” (ACC 15.34).

The debates and resolutions cover important issues including health, the environment, refugees and migrants, people trafficking, gender-based and domestic violence, violence and the family, youth work, development and relief work through the Anglican Alliance, the Bible in the life of the Church, “Safe Church” networks, our relations with other churches and other people of faith, peace, and Indaba, which is all about how we talk to one another as Anglicans.

Naturally, as you can imagine, Maurice was interested in how these and so many other topics feed into the life of the Theological Institute, and therefore in the life and ministry of the Church of Ireland.

These are not dead resolutions that die when the paper we find them on is fed through the office shredder. They are vital to the life of the Church of Ireland as well as to the witness and mission of Anglicans worldwide.

And so we are in the process of circulating these resolutions to each relevant body, each relevant commission, committee and other bodies in the Church of Ireland.

What we say to each other as Anglicans, and how we then act on it, shapes how other people see us, and shapes out effectiveness in mission. When these resolutions reach your committee or commission or working group, give thanks to God that as Anglicans we can talk to one another, we can work with one another, that we can teach and learn from each other, and that our work together is part of building up the Kingdom of God.

The Mission Statement of the House of Bishops issued a few years ago emphasised three priorities and areas of work: Growth, Unity and Service.

All three priority areas are reflected in the priorities found at ACC -15. This is not an abstract, theoretical intra-Anglican search for co-operation and unity. It really invites us to be concerned for those on the margins, those on the outside, that we exist for as a Church, calling them through our mission and through the Church into experiencing the liberating joys of the Kingdom of God.

And that makes the work of the Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue not only an exciting task, but a joyful part of living out the kingdom. In fact, it makes all our own internal differences seem so insular and inward looking.

And so, I ask you to receive the report of the Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue.

Three days in Armagh at the General Synod

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh ... ‘As neat and trim as a lady’s drawing-room’ according to Thackeray (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

I am in Armagh for the rest of the week, taking part in the General Synod of the Church of Ireland, which is meeting in the Armagh City Hotel from today [Thursday 9 May 2013] until Saturday [11 May].

I am staying in the Charlemont Arms Hotel, just a two or three minutes’ stroll from Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, where the synod Eucharist is being celebrated this evening [Ascension Day].

Much of the time at this year’s General Synod will be spent debating reports from committees, councils, commissions and boards.

During the Synod, I have been asked to be one of the hosts for our ecumenical events, and this includes bringing them to the General Synod Eucharist this evening .

In association with the General Synod, the Council for Mission is hosting a mission breakfast tomorrow morning [Friday], when Bishop Ken Clarke, Mission Director of SAMS UK and Ireland, will speak on “Aim Lower. Fulfilling the Commission of Christ with Urgency, Imagination and Energy.”

Later, at lunchtime tomorrow, Changing Attitude Ireland will host a public talk by Steve Williamson, Director of Cara–Friendly, who will speak on “The Church and the mental health of gay and lesbian people.”

On Saturday, I have been asked to speak to the report of the Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue, including its work in ecumenical affairs, Anglican relations, interfaith dialogue and European affairs.

A head stoop at the West Door of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Archbishop John George Beresford commissioned extensive restoration of the cathedral in the 1830s. The architect, Lewis Nockalls Cottingham (1787-1847), came to Armagh after restoring Saint Alban’s Abbey, and in Armagh he tried to replicate some features that had impressed him in Saint Alban’s.

Cottingham was influenced by the ideas of AWN Pugin and the early Gothic Revival, and these influences can be seen in his restoration of the High Altar from the west end, where it had been relegated by Archbishop William Stewart at the beginning of the 19th century, to its proper eastward position in the form of a stone altar backed by a reredos of canopied niches.

According to William Makepeace Thackeray, Cottingham’s cathedral was “too complete ... not the least venerable. It is as neat and trim as a lady’s drawing-room.” Although the rood screen was removed in 1888, much of Cottingham’s work remains.

The Charlemont Arms Hotel ... three and a half centuries of history in Armagh (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

During these three days, I am staying at the Charlemont Arms Hotel in English Street in the centre of the city. The motto on the Earl of Charlemont’s coat-of-arms, over the hotel front door, which gives its name to the hotel, proclaims boldly: Deo Duce Ferro Comitante, “God is my leader, the sword is my companion.” The first part of the motto is appropriate for synod members staying in Armagh – although I have serious problems about the second part.

The hotel, which has thrived throughout the centuries, was originally known in the 1760s as “The Caulfeild Arms.” It was renamed in 1763, when James Caulfeild (1728-1799), fourth Viscount Caulfeild, was given the title Earl of Charlemont.

In 1746, at the age of 18 year, he was sent on a Grand Tour of Europe, accompanied by the Revd Edward Murphy as his tutor. During his nine-year-long Grand Tour, he spent a year in Rome and Naples before travelling on to Greece, where he was fascinated by the Parthenon in Athens and made drawings of the building long before it was destroyed by Lord Elgin.

After nine years, he returned to Ireland in 1755, and went on to build both the Casino in Marino and Charlemont House in Dublin, now home to the Hugh Lane Gallery of Modern Art.

He formed a political alliance with Henry Flood and Henry Grattan, and in 1780, as Lord Charlemont, he became the commander-in-chief of the Irish Volunteers. From then on was known as the Volunteer Earl, and in the heyday of the Volunteers, it is said, there was a Charlemont Arms in every Irish town of note. However, this hotel may be the only one to survive – something that makes the current proprietors very proud.

Today, the hotel is perfectly located between Armagh’s two cathedrals and close to the beautiful Mall, the theatre, city centre shops, the Armagh Planetarium and Observatory, the Armagh County Museum, the old Armagh Women’s Gaol.

And, of course, it’s a short stroll from the synod venue and many synod members are staying here. Once again – as with the General Synod in 2011 – this may be the place where a lot of the synod work is going to be done between now and Saturday afternoon.

The West Door of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)