The restoration of the carillon at St Colman's Cathedral in Cobh - a majestic landmark dominating the skyline as ships head seaward through the mouth of Cork's great harbour - has been made necessary because of the deterioration of the instrument over the years.
"Considering the passage of time and its exposed location, it is not surprising that it should be in this position. As we approach the millennium, and with plans already being made for using the carillon in that great celebration, it is important that it should be in perfect condition for the occasion" - that's the view of the Cobh Carillon Committee.
Not many towns have committees dedicated to bells, but then, not many towns have a carillon of bells like Cobh's. In fact, it is the only carillon in the Republic. Sailing by, southwards to France or Spain, or across to Wales, the clamorous bells, pealing out their music, may be heard. Given the right wind conditions, there are many vantage points on land in which the rich sound attracts attention.
The carillon was cast in 1915 by Taylors of Loughborough. Installed in 1916, it was considered to be one of the world's greatest carillons. In the 1950s, five more bells were added and that brought the total number to 47. The bells, tuned in chromatic order, then weighed 17 1/2 tonnes. Over the years, they have been a huge attraction, matching the magic of St Colman's with their own particular magic.
The range of the bells is on a par with a full-scale concert carillon and are of exceptionally high quality. UCC has introduced courses on carillon music in its curriculum and there already exists an entire corpus of Irish compositions and arrangements for the carillon - many of which are performed regularly in other countries.
And plans are afoot to ensure that the Cobh carillon will be used in a link-up with the Euro Carillon to celebrate the millennium. Plans for this event, according to Canon Denis Reidy, co-ordinator of the restoration project, are at a tentative stage, but it may be that the great carillons of Europe will ring out on television together as the midnight hour ushers in the new age - and the Cobh bells will chime in unison with them. If this should happen the Cobh carillon will have two new additions.
Royal Eijsbouts of Asten, in Holland, is the company carrying out the restoration work. It has removed 34 of the original 47 bells. They will be re-tuned and fitted with new clappers. However, according to consultants expert in the field, two new bells are necessary so that the carillon will achieve four full octaves. The complex re-tuning procedures will have the bells back in Cobh by next March but the likelihood is that they will not ring out in a performance, so to speak, until the end of May.
Ireland's only carillonneur is Mr Adrian Gebruers, son of Dr Staf Gebruers, who was invited to Cobh in 1924 after the bells had arrived. Dr Gebruers left his native Antwerp to take up the invitation. He never returned. When he died in 1970, he had become synonymous with the Cobh carillon. And, while Adrian has taken up the mantle, the fact that UCC is now promoting the development of future carillonneurs should ensure, says Canon Reidy, that a fine tradition will live on.
This will not be an exercise on the cheap. The cost of the restoration is put at £300,000, of which £150,000 has been made available by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. The grant has been provided under phase two of the EU's Cultural Development Incentives Scheme, which the Department is administering through the 1994-1999 Operational Programme for Tourism. The carillon committee is hoping the remainder of the cost will be met by corporate subscriptions.
There are some interesting stories associated with the carillon.
In 1927, John McCormack sang at a Mass in St Colman's accompanied by Dr Gebruers. McCormack knew Cobh well because of his travels between Ireland and America. He had expressed an interest in hearing the bells. As he arrived back in Cobh from his numerous triumphs in America, he would have heard the awesome sound of the carillon and seen the imposing cathedral which housed it. Dr Gebruers promised that the bells would ring out for him, but on one condition - that he would sing. It happened on May 16th of that year when Cesar Franck's Panis Angelicus was performed. The Cobh bells and the soaring voice of McCormack held the audience enthralled.
Regularly, the bells were sounded to welcome visitors who arrived in Cobh at the time on numerous luxury liners. On one splendid vessel, the great comic duo Laurel and Hardy were moved when the St Colman's bells greeted them by playing their so-familiar theme tune.
One last anecdote, courtesy of Canon Reidy. The bells were ready for shipment to Cobh in 1916 - not a particularly good year for such manoeuvres. Events were under way in Dublin and the Great War was on. The British Admiralty needed to erect a radio mast at the entrance to Cork Harbour.
There was hardly a more commanding position than the lofty height on which St Colman's was raised. But there were difficulties. The Admiralty authorities in Cobh needed to secure the mast - to anchor it - in the grounds of the cathedral.
Bishop Robert Browne was waiting for the arrival of his carillon. It was unsafe to ship the bells from Britain. The deal was that if the bishop agreed to the radio mast, the British would give his bells a naval escort from the other side. Done. The tether to which the mast was attached may still be seen today in the grounds of the cathedral. The British Admiralty got what it wanted - the bishop did too. The Royal Navy has gone. But the bells will be back.