A special Service of Evening Prayer took place in St Salvator’s Church, Donagh Parish, Glaslough on Thursday evening, 16 June for the Introduction of Revd Tim Irvine as Bishop’s Curate for the Grouped Parishes of Donagh and Tyholland with Errigal Truagh, conducted by the Bishop of Clogher, the Right Revd Dr. Ian Ellis.
The service was filled with readings and music and with special anthems sung by the Donagh Community Choir.
Readings were by Mrs Marina Waller, Parish Reader and Mrs Diane Wright-Kendrick, Honorary Secretary of Donagh Parish.
The hymns were; “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!” “God has spoken by his prophets,” “Come down, O Love divine” and “Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided.” Psalm 84, the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis were also sung as well as the anthem, “God is love; ‘ His the care” and the Responses, “Guide my feet, Lord” and “Go now in Peace.” The organist and choir leader was Mrs Ethne McCord and Mr Gerard Toal also accompanied some of the choir anthems.
The sermon was preached by the Venerable Leslie Stevenson, Rector of Portarlington and Archdeacon of Meath and Kildare.
Following the service, the congregation made their way to Glaslough Community Centre where Revd Irvine was formally welcomed to the area by Louise Duffy, Glaslough’s Tidy Towns Co-ordinator as well as Robert Wilson, speaking on behalf of the three parishes of Donagh, Tyholland and Errigal Truagh who reminded him that Glaslough was voted by the Irish Times as the best place to live although he said it was the people of the area who would impress him most.
Revd Irvine came to Clogher Diocese from the Dioceses of Meath and Kildare where he was Rector of the Mountmellick Group of Parishes in Co. Laois.
He is a native of Newtownards, Co Down and studied English and Drama at Queen’s University Belfast before teaching English at Cambridge House Boys’ Grammar School. He trained for ordination at the Church of Ireland Theological College in Dublin and spent his curacy in the Christ Church Cathedral Group of Parishes in inner city Dublin where he was also chaplain to St James’ Hospital. He then moved to South County Dublin to become chaplain at Rathdown School, a day and boarding school for girls in Glenageary.
Later Tim took up a temporary post as Head of Religion in Alexandra College in Milltown, Dublin. While at Rathdown and Alexandra College, he was Priest in Charge of St John’s, Sandymount.
Having always felt drawn to the monastic life, Revd Irvine spent a year living alongside the Church of England Benedictine Community of Mucknell Abbey in Worcestershire, sharing in the daily prayer and work of the community there.
He returned to Ireland in 2012 as Curate and then Rector of the Kilkenny Union of Parishes where he was chaplain to St Luke’s and Aut Even Hospitals. After four years in Kilkenny, he was appointed to the incumbency of the Mountmellick Group of Parishes in Co Laois.
He has a rough haired Collie, Crispi and he enjoys music and reading.