A spirit of inclusivity will pervade the Festival of St Nicholas at St Nicholas's Collegiate Church in Galway, which will celebrate special Christmas services for both African and Russian communities.
This morning at 8.30 there will be a Russian Orthodox liturgy, while at 4pm there will be Christmas carols around the Christmas tree to which, the Very Rev Patrick Towers says, people of all persuasions will be welcome.
At 11.30pm the First Eucharist of Christmas will be celebrated. Tomorrow at 10am the parish Family Eucharist will be celebrated, followed by an African service of Christmas praise at noon.
Mass will be celebrated at the Galway Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas tonight at 10pm and tomorrow at 8.30am, 10am, 11.15am and 12.30pm.
The Vigil Mass in the newly-refurbished St Peter's Cathedral in Belfast will be celebrated by the Bishop of Down and Connor, Dr Patrick Walsh, at 9pm tonight.
St Anne's Church of Ireland Cathedral in Belfast will celebrate the Eucharist at 1pm today and at 10am, 11am and 3.30pm tomorrow.
The main Church of Ireland Festival Choral Eucharist will be in St Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork at 11.15am tomorrow. There will also be services tomorrow at 8am and 7pm.
In Dublin, St Mary's Pro-Cathedral will have Christmas carols tonight with the Palestrina Choir at 9.30pm, with a procession to the crib at 9.50pm. Christmas Midnight Mass will be celebrated at 10pm by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin. Tomorrow, Mass will be at 10am, with Christmas carols, and again at 11am. There will be no 12.45 Mass and no evening Mass.
In Christ Church Cathedral tonight the Eucharist will be celebrated at 11pm with the choir. Tomorrow, the Festival Eucharist will be at 11am.
In St Patrick's Cathedral, at 11.05 this morning, the Holy Eucharist will be celebrated in the Lady Chapel, with a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at 4pm.
Tomorrow, the Holy Eucharist will be celebrated in the Lady Chapel at 8.30am and a Festival Eucharist, with Mozart's Coronation Mass and hymns, takes place at 11.15am in the main cathedral.
