A trip to the Emerald Isle

Our Rector Alison has just been on a tour of the island of Ireland with a group of fellow travellers from an institution that traces its history back to the seventeenth century and a bequest by The Revd Thomas White.

Thomas White was Vicar of our nearest church neighbour on Fleet Street, St Dunstan-in-the-West. He left £3000 in his will “for the acquisition of a house for the making of a College of Ministers, Rectors (Readers) and Curates within the City of London and the suburbs of the same.” As a consequence, Sion College was founded in 1630 by the first charter granted by King Charles I.

Sion College has evolved over the years and now exists as a virtual college that provides opportunities for learning and fellowship for Anglican clergy. Free of the financial burdens of buildings and a collection of books (now housed partly at Lambeth Palace’s wonderful new library, and partly at the library of King’s College, London), the College is able to put on a yearly programme of events.

The most recent was a tour co-led by Alison, who has served as a president of the College. This tour was one of its biannual overseas trips which aim to hear from local churches in the region and learn about their broader context. In Ireland, north and south, peace, politics and history were very much on the agenda.

The tour began in the north in Belfast where the group saw evidence of continuing physical divisions between communities, visited Stormont, and attended a lecture at the Corymeela Community by Professor Roger Mac Ginty – Director of the Global Security Institute and Professor at the School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University.

In Derry it was striking to see how historical divides have become interwoven with other current issues, with the nationalist community solidly pro-Palestinian and the loyalists pro-Israel.

But amid those signs of division stand symbols of peace and hope including Clonard Monastery where the peace talks began and the Peace Bridge crossing the Foyle in Derry which connects communities.

There was also time for the group to enjoy some R&R with a visit to the iconic Crown Liquor Saloon which is owned by the National Trust and run by Nicholson’s.

It features some wonderful original snugs dating from the 1880s. These were built by Italian craftsmen who worked in the shipyards and churches around Belfast and were designed to allow ladies and high society to have a drink without being overlooked.

There were also trips to Bushmills, the world’s oldest licensed distillery, and the epic Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage site much of which is also owned by the National Trust.

South of the border, the group stayed at St Patrick’s College in Maynooth, and popped in to see our friends at St Brigid’s Cathedral in Kildare (photo at top of article) and the Brigidine Spirituality Centre, Solas Bhride.

They also paid homage at the memorial to composer Sir Charles Villiers Stanford in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.

Stanford was born in Dublin and received much of his early musical training in the cathedral. St Bride’s recently held a special orchestral Evensong to mark the centenary of his death this year.

This latest Sion College excursion was much enjoyed by all and served the wishes of its pious founder that clergy, who often work long hours and feel isolated, are able to ‘maintaine… love in conversing together.’