Church Music in the Parishes of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla (2008)

Newly appointed organist, Maedhbh Abayawickrema, gives a brief insight into the music of these parishes in West Dublin.

Having just concluded a busy Easter period in the parishes, I now have a little time to write about what's happening on the music front in this corner of Dublin West. There were thirteen services with music during Holy Week shared between the three parish churches; St Brigid's, Castleknock; St Mary's, Clonsilla; and St Thomas', Mulhuddart. The week culminated in the Eucharist on Easter Sunday, which featured solos from Handel's Messiah as well as hymns and the St. Luke's Setting of music for Holy Communion by Victor Whitburn sung by the congregation.

I graduated from the Music Department in Trinity College, Dublin in 1995, where I began singing twice weekly with the university's Chapel Choir. I later sang with the choir of Christ Church Cathedral for a number of years under the directorship of Mark Duley, and began studying the organ with Peter Sweeney in the DIT Conservatory of Music, Rathmines in 1998. I have been teaching music in Mercy College, Coolock since 1996 with a two-year break teaching English in Chiba, Japan. I took up the position of organist in Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla in July 2007, having spent some years previously as organ scholar, working with the organist, Raymond Russell.

The position is a busy one, with two weekly services with music: a 10 a.m. service in Clonsilla followed by one at 11.30 a.m. in Castleknock. Music in St Thomas', Mulhuddart, on the church's harmonium, is reserved for special services at Harvest, Easter and Christmas. The music team consists of myself and an organ scholar, Philip Good. Philip has almost completed his first year of the Archbishop's Course in Church Music, studying organ with Kerry Houston, and is very involved in the musical life of the parishes.

Following on from the structures put in place by Raymond Russell, the music team meets with the clergy every two to three months to finalise the hymns for the coming months and any special services that are planned for that period.

There is no official choir in St Mary's, Clonsilla, although the congregation is enthusiastic and contains a core of good singers. The organ is an Allen two-manual digital organ situated in the middle of the church, a position from which it is easy to lead the congregation. New music, such as the St Luke's Setting of music for Holy Communion introduced for Easter, is learned by the congregation during rehearsals, which take place before the service once every one or two months. St Brigid's, Castleknock has a core choir of about eight to ten regular members and rehearses at 11.00 a.m. on the fourth Sunday of every month. The choir sings with the congregation on Sundays and at special services, such as the Nine Lessons and Carols service at Christmas. The group generally sings a reflective hymn during communion once or twice a month as well. The organ in Castleknock is a Forster & Andrews mechanical action instrument of 1895 that was restored by Wells Kennedy in 1991.

Plans for the future include the establishment of a children's choir, the introduction of further new music for Holy Communion and an expansion of the range of hymns used. The parishes grew during 2007 and are some of the largest and fastest growing Church of Ireland parishes in Ireland.

St Mary’s Clonsilla

 St Brigid’s Castleknock