A festival eucharist was celebrated yesterday to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the consecration of St Peter's Church of Ireland church in Bandon, Co Cork.
The preacher was the Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, the Right Rev Edward Darling. At the consecration service in 1849, the then Bishop of Limerick was also in attendance and the clergy, as they did yesterday, processed up the steps to the church. The newly appointed Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Right Rev Paul Colton, presided yesterday.
The Rev Daniel Nuzum, the curate-assistant at St Peter's, is delighted with the extensive restoration that has been carried out over the past two years. The organ and bells have been restored, and the clock is now in working order.
"The interior has also been completely repainted," he said. "Most of the work was carried out by local and provincial contractors, and FAS have been instrumental in the restoration project. In return, many people were given the opportunity to gain valuable skills in restoration work.
"The support of the wider community has been tremendous in the fundraising efforts for the restoration, and many events were hosted both within and outside St Peter's for the restoration fund. "The present building is the third church on this site, the first being erected in 1614 and also dedicated to St Peter. It is the oldest occupied site in the town of Bandon," he said.
To mark the anniversary, two local historians, Mr Pat Canniffe and Mr Padraig Hamilton, have written an illustrated guide to the church, which is now available.