26 Intercom • May 2015

The cathedral stoodcold and empty, itswindows blocked up,

a metal industrial roofprotecting the charredinterior; its ignominy layhidden in the inky darknessof a winter’s night. Beyondthe street lights and highwall, the silence of theplaying fields, the treetracery marked the line ofthe avenue and circled thecollege. Tall windowsilluminated the car park asdeparting figures said theirgood-byes, while inside ateam of cheerful volunteersgathered up the debris of theafter meeting tea and cakes.Amidst the relaxed clamourand lights of the departingcars Richard shook my handand wished me a cheerfulgood night as he calmlywalked to join the ProjectManager Niall Meagher forthe drive back to Dublin.

It had been an excellentmeeting; the lead architectfor the restoration andrenewal of Saint Mel’sCathedral Dr RichardHurley had made the finalillustrated presentation of hisproposal for the renewal of thecathedral and the architect ColmRedmond of Fitzgerald Kavanagh andPartners had presented his proposalfor the landscaping of the cathedral.Both presentations were well received.There was great optimism amongst allwho attended the meeting thatevening. It was a cordial comingtogether of the people of God, thevolunteers, the professionals and thepriesthood, under the warm guidanceof Chairperson Seamus Butler. It wasThursday, 1 December 2011 and Ihad only recently joined the designteam as Chairperson of the Sacred ArtProcurement Sub-Committee at theinvitation of Bishop Colm O’Reilly ofArdagh and Clonmacnois.

I was delighted at the opportunityto be working alongside RichardHurley, with whom I had worked onthe restoration and renewal of theCathedral of St Mary and St Anne,Cork for the late Bishop MichaelMurphy of Cork and Ross. Withinless than a week my delight hadturned to shock and sadness whennews came of Richards’s suddenunexpected death on Tuesday, 6December 2011. He was 79 years ofage, a fact that lay hidden behind theenthusiasm and energy with which heapproached the cathedral project. ‘Iwish to leave something beautifulbehind me.’ These are the words hehad spoken to the artist JamesScanlon a short time earlier whendiscussing the restoration and

The Sacred Art in Saint Mel’s Cathedral

renewal of Saint Mel’sCathedral. The Abbot of Saint

Columba’s Abbey GlenstalDom Mark PatrickHederman, OSB speaking atRichard’s funeral Massspoke of the winter solsticeat Newgrange when a singleray of sunlight traces its wayinto the inner chamber andlights up a carved hollow inthe central stone, ‘theArchitect designed thewindow to let the light shinethrough’. I remembered the Abbot of

Glenstal’s words when, at11.30 pm on 19 December2014, Bishop Francis Duffyof Ardagh and Clonmacnoisand Bishop Emeritus ColmO’Reilly opened the greatSouth doors of the cathedralfor the first time in five yearsand the sun shone through,lighting up the blue of LauraO’Hagan’s living watersmosaic, the white of TomGlendon’s carved CarraraBaptismal Font and the silverof Angela Godfrey’s polishedstainless steel Paschal CandleHolder. I thanked God in

that moment, for all around me wasthe well-ordered world of a restoredand renewed Cathedral ready toreceive the people of God. Richard’swish had been fulfilled. At the time ofhis appointment he had stated: ‘Ourcommitted aim is to restore theCathedral to its former architecturalbeauty, with a complementarycontemporary liturgical interventionreflecting pastoral aspirations,supported by the arts which will makeSaint Mel’s a worthy flagship of theDiocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoisand beyond.’

There is a great clarity in Richard’sdesign of Sacred Spaces in historicbuildings. He had the ability to bringout the pure essence of the originalarchitecture, through the integrity of

‘Saint Mel’s will rise again and live again as the centre of Catholic Life in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois…’DR RICHARD HURLEY FRIAI

Baptismal Font by Tom Glendon. Paschal Candleholder by Angela Godfrey, Mosaic by Laura O’Hagan

also carved from a single block ofwhite Carrara marble by ImogenStuart with Philip O’Neill. The wingssymbolically carry the proclamationof the Word of God to his people. It isa work of great simplicity, the dignity

his liturgical design, his careful use ofquality materials, and hisrecommendation of outstanding Irishand International artists andcraftspeople to create worthy worksof sacred art to enhance the dignifiedcelebration of the sacraments.

All Richard’s characteristic designvirtues are evident in Saint Mel’s.There is a powerful axial plan form,quality materials and a superb teamof artists and craftspeople. His axiallayout extends from the GatheringPlace in the cathedral forecourtthrough the centre of the portico tothe Place of Baptism, down the centreof the nave rising to the Place of theEucharist on the first sanctuary level,rising and continuing through thecentre of the second sanctuary levelpast the Ambo, the Celebrant’s Chairand the Bishop’s Cathedra and finallyrising to the elevated Place Of TheReserved Sacrament in the apse.

Colm Redmond’s design of theGathering Place in the forecourt, withits bold bands of limestone pavementin a skewed geometric pattern, is farabove the usual ubiquitous tarmacchurch car park. Here in this spacethe Easter Vigil Paschal fire will be lit,beneath Saint Patrick and Saint Melon the tympanum of the cathedralportico overhead. FitzgeraldKavanagh and Partners were alreadyworking in association with Richardon Saint Mel’s at the time of his deathand the appointment of ColmRedmond as lead architect was anobvious choice for continuity.

The Place of Initiation is markedby a mosaic by Laura O’Hagan. It is aswirling composition of turquoise,ultramarine, cobalt blue andaquamarine tesserae, symbolising the

waters of life flowing in and aroundthe place of Baptism. Out of the poolof water at the centre of the mosaic acarved white marble column rises tosupport a large eight sided whiteCarrara marble font, carved anddesigned by TomGlendon. Thewelcoming, generousproportions of Tom’sfont are to facilitateboth infant and adultinitiation into thecommunity of Christ.

The austere beauty ofImogen Stuart’sSanctuary Cross marksthe sacred nature of thesanctuary. The figure,sculpted by Imogen andcast in bronze by LeoHiggins, representsChrist triumphing overthe Cross, his armsuplifted in hope, intriumph over death anddespair. The focal pointof the sacred spaces isthe stark simplicity ofthe Altar of theEucharist designed byRichard Hurley. He hasplaced it on a raisedsanctuary on the centralaxis in the spiritualheart of the cathedralwhere the People ofGod can gather aroundin the joyful anddignified celebration ofthe liturgy. It is onesingle seven ton blockof white Carrara marblecarved by TomGlendon. The Ambo is

Three of the Stations of the Cross by Ken Thompson

Art glass window by Fr Kim En Joong OP and Wilhelm Derix Studios

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28 Intercom • May 2015

of its presence enhancing the liturgyof the Word. All the white Carraramarble used in the sacred artworks ofSt Mel’s Cathedral was supplied byAlex Bernardi of Carrara and it allcomes from the same quarry thatsupplied the marble to Michelangelofor the Pieta in St Peter’s Basilica inRome.

The Cathedra has a beautifulcurved shell-like presence; pilgrim’sshell or hand of God. Its oak stavesradiate upwards in a welcomingPentecost flame. There is a generosityin its form that expresses the kindlypastoral care and teaching role ofBishop Francis Duffy of Ardagh andClonmacnois serving his people in to-day’s world. Its enlightened sculptorAngela Godfrey chose to work withfurniture designer Rodney Forss andthe furniture maker William Hall.Her matching celebrant’s chair issimpler in design, expressing thepresence of Christ amongst hispeople. Angela has carved a phoenixinto the back panel, representing

rebirth, the redemption of the soulafter death.

The sculptor Imogen Stuart and thesilversmith Vicki Donovan workedtogether on the design of theTabernacle. It is an outstanding workof sacred art and silver craftsmanshipfeaturing images of the Evangelistsand the Last Supper, with a steeplypitched roof based on the Shrine ofSaint Manchan. The bronzeTabernacle Screen is an abstractdesign, based on the reflective uppersurface of a deep flowing river, animagery that connects it with LauraO’Hagan’s baptismal mosaic.Designed by Vicki Donovan thepatinated bronze finish is an excellentfoil for the repoussé silverwork of theTabernacle.

The polished stainless steel PaschalCandleholder and SanctuaryCandlesticks have all been designedby Angela Godfrey working withEddie Norris.

The design of the Aumbry and theEvangelarium are by Colm Redmond,

working with the sculptor TomGlendon who sculpted the whiteCarrara marble bases, and Vicki andDenise Donovan who have designedand wrought the silver screens withinthe glass boxes of the Aumbry,holding the three Jerpoint GlassAumbry vessels, and theEvangelarium holding the Book ofSacred Scripture.

The Processional Cross is designedand executed by the icon writer FrDavid O’Riordan PP. It features atraditional icon image of theCrucifixion of Christ in the centre,flanked by his Mother and Saint Johnon either side of the Cross.

Each of the fourteen carved solidBath-stone stations of The Way of theCross built into the cathedral wallsrepresents a deeply spiritual, artisticpilgrimage of love, turmoil andstrenuous effort for the sculptor KenThompson and his son Matthew. Achild with hands raised in horrorlooks directly out at us from the thirdstation, scandalised by Christ’s first

Ambo by Imogen Stuart with Ruffatti organ in the background

Ambo by Imogen Stuart with west transept in the background

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fall. We know this child from athousand media images where he orshe stares in dis-belief from images ofwar, violence and natural disaster.‘He was despised, a man of sorrows’.The traditional titles are replaced byselected texts, a collaborationbetween Bishop Emeritus ColmO’Reilly and the artist KenThompson. These are fourteenexceptional works of sacred art.

The delicate silk-like waves ofcolour that fall from the arched headsof the east side aisle windows are thework of Father Kim En Joong OP inParis. He takes his inspiration fromthe browns and greens of the flatmidland landscape and the wide skiesabove the Shannon, also fromcontemplating the twelfth andthirteenth century stained glasswindows in Chartres. The son of acalligrapher there is an orientalmystique in his images. He choseDerix Studios in Taunusstein inGermany to create his windows. Hehas a simple mission: ‘I want mywork to be like a good tree bearingfruit to sustain peace in the world.’

The artist James Scanlon worksslowly and methodically, usingtraditional stained glass techniques,each window a masterpiece of colourand light. He understands the powerof the western light as the sundescends from its midday zenith. Heis noted for the intensity of colourand the manner in which he drawsthat colour out of the glass. Hisinspiration for the St Mel’s windowscomes from the sky-reflecting watersof the Shannon, darkened blue/greyby storm clouds and illuminatedbrightly by shafts of sunlight. Due tothe slowness of his creative process itwill be sometime in the future beforeall the windows to the west will becomplete

During the month followingChristmas 2014 forty thousandpeople entered the cathedral andmarvelled at the beauty, many weremoved to tears. Richard Hurley hasindeed left something of great beautybehind him.

Alexander M. White FRIAIis a member of the Advisory Committee

on Sacred Art and Architecture to the Irish Episcopal Commission

and Chairperson of the Sacred Art Procurement Committee for

Saint Mel’s Cathedral Longford.

Cathedra by Angela Godfrey; Tabernacle by Imogen Stuart and Vicki Donovan on column by Tom Glendon; Screen by Vicki Donovan

The aumbry designed by Colm Redmond, Vicki and Denise Donovan and Tom Glendon

Intercom • May 2015