0:00:02 > 0:00:04'The story of the buildings of Ulster is a story of
0:00:04 > 0:00:07'the people who have lived on this land
0:00:07 > 0:00:09'and left their mark on its history.'
0:00:10 > 0:00:15'And here, history has left us with a remarkable legacy of buildings.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18'From ancient forts and mighty castles
0:00:18 > 0:00:22'to prestigious public buildings and grand country houses.'
0:00:37 > 0:00:41'These historic buildings are windows into our past.'
0:00:41 > 0:00:43In this series, I am going to explore some of the most
0:00:43 > 0:00:45remarkable architecture of Ulster,
0:00:45 > 0:00:49tell the stories of the people who created it
0:00:49 > 0:00:53and see how both buildings and people were shaped by history.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Sacred buildings are amongst our earliest structures.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20They tell a story of more than simply faith.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25Their tall towers, their strong vaulted naves speak of conflict,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29of persecution, of power struggles through the centuries.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34And why am I on a boat? I'm on my way to a city of God.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39'This sacred site in Fermanagh's Lakelands is
0:01:39 > 0:01:41'well off the beaten track today
0:01:41 > 0:01:44'but when a great monastery was built here in the sixth century,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47'this island became an important destination
0:01:47 > 0:01:49'on a great water-borne highway,
0:01:49 > 0:01:55'stretching from the Atlantic Ocean right to the very heart of Ireland.'
0:01:56 > 0:02:00'Christianity reached these shores in the fifth century.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03'Those early Christians sought out places to build settlements
0:02:03 > 0:02:06'and churches where they could feel closer to God.'
0:02:07 > 0:02:10'For St Molaise, the founder of this monastery,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14'that place was here - Devenish Island on Lough Erne.'
0:02:17 > 0:02:20There is an ancient tradition of thin places on earth -
0:02:20 > 0:02:24thresholds between the material and the spiritual worlds,
0:02:24 > 0:02:29between the visible and invisible, between this world and the next
0:02:29 > 0:02:32and surely this tower marks such a place.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Rising up, a finger to the heavens.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38At the top, four heads looking towards the four points
0:02:38 > 0:02:41of the compass, representing the whole world.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45And the tower, when the sun is shining, casting a shadow
0:02:45 > 0:02:50that moves and defines the sacred heart of this monastic site.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06And monastic settlements like this one were more than just
0:03:06 > 0:03:11'sacred spaces. They were hugely important to the rural economy.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16'These were centres of trade and manufacturing.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19'Along with the monastery, church and refectory was often
0:03:19 > 0:03:23'a guesthouse, a school, huts and farm buildings.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26'was the equivalent of a town in early Christian Ireland.'
0:03:28 > 0:03:31'But the growing prosperity of these settlements
0:03:31 > 0:03:34'attracted unwelcome attention.'
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Well, the tower feels immensely strong.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42It is, of course, incredibly strong.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46The walls are nearly a metre thick at the base there
0:03:46 > 0:03:50and made out of tremendously beautifully cut,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54beautifully laid, squared and curved blocks of stone.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Wonderful workmanship. That's why it has lasted so long, of course.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01So well built. One is sure about one of the functions of the building.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04I mean, there are many speculations about what it was built for,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07whether sacred, symbolic or practical.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Clearly, it would work very well as a place of refuge from attack.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23Well, I love this stone roof, this wonderful roof.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Lovely stone, all shapes and cut with such precision.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Now, another of the functions of the tower is revealed here.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33A wonderful lookout tower.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37You can see a long way off, looking out for raiders.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Vikings came here at least twice
0:04:40 > 0:04:43and burnt and attacked the monastery. Last time in 923.
0:04:43 > 0:04:51After the Vikings were warring local kings and lords, warring dynasties.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55And, sadly, another function of this tower, at least once,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58was as a place of execution.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01A son of one of the warring kings was killed here.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10This was a time when monasteries
0:05:10 > 0:05:14were inextricably linked with power and politics.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15'It was here that Devenish,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19'that the last High King of Ireland Brian O'Neill
0:05:19 > 0:05:22'formed an alliance between Ulster and Connacht
0:05:22 > 0:05:24'to take on the mighty Anglo Normans
0:05:24 > 0:05:28'who had arrived in Ulster at the end of the 12th century -
0:05:28 > 0:05:31'an alliance that was doomed to failure.'
0:05:36 > 0:05:39'But the arrival of the Anglo Normans
0:05:39 > 0:05:43'also had a profound effect on Irish monastic communities.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46'They were replaced by a new European church,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48'governed by bishops.'
0:05:55 > 0:05:57'When the Anglo Normans invaded Ulster,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00'they were led by John de Courcy.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02'Although he was a ruthless conqueror,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04'de Courcy also wanted, it would seem,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08'to ensure his salvation by becoming a builder of churches in Ulster.'
0:06:13 > 0:06:17De Courcy built the first church on this site at the centre
0:06:17 > 0:06:21of Carrickfergus, his powerbase on the banks of Belfast Lough.
0:06:21 > 0:06:27This church survives as a testimony to the 800 years of conflict
0:06:27 > 0:06:29and violence that have shaped Ulster.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33'The church is dedicated to St Nicholas,
0:06:33 > 0:06:38'the patron saint of children, sailors and archers.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42'It would have looked very different when de Courcy worshipped here.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43'Throughout its long history,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47'this church has been reconstructed several times.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51'These walls withstood attacks from Irish rebels, Scottish armies,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55'Williamite shells and French guns.'
0:06:55 > 0:06:58This is the entrance porch to de Courcy's church
0:06:58 > 0:07:02and here you can see very dramatic marks of conflict
0:07:02 > 0:07:08because on the side of the door are these deep scars here and here,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12caused by men sharpening their swords and halberds
0:07:12 > 0:07:14on the very door of the church.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16And many, many of them
0:07:16 > 0:07:19so this must have been taking place for generations.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27'St Nicholas's became part of the Church of Ireland
0:07:27 > 0:07:29'following the Reformation.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33'It was a reconstructed in 1614 by the Lord Deputy of Ireland
0:07:33 > 0:07:37'and the Governor of Carrickfergus Sir Arthur Chichester.'
0:07:38 > 0:07:41'This monument to the Chichester family dominates
0:07:41 > 0:07:43'the centre of the church.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45'Sir Arthur is facing his wife Lettice.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49'Between them, their only son Arthur, who died in infancy.'
0:07:57 > 0:07:59'As work began on the church,
0:07:59 > 0:08:04'Chichester spearheaded widespread persecution against Catholics,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08'now deemed a threat to the security of the Crown.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11'This campaign included the execution of two bishops.'
0:08:15 > 0:08:17This is one of the most stupendous pieces
0:08:17 > 0:08:19of Jacobean funeral art I've seen.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22It's an absolutely wonderful thing as an object, isn't it?
0:08:22 > 0:08:24It is. It's easily the finest in Ireland.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27There is nothing else quite like it anywhere on this island
0:08:27 > 0:08:30and it is magnificent. From the floor to the ceiling,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33it stands out as being the dominant feature within this church.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Incredible imagery about death, the resurrection.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44The skull, death, sort of, in glory at the top.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47But, of course, the character of Arthur Chichester,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49in a way, very appropriate for him.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54He dealt in, didn't he, in terror, in death and in glory?
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Well, he comes to Ireland in the late 1590s at the height
0:08:56 > 0:08:59of the Nine Years' War. He comes to Ireland as a soldier,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01a man who had already considerable experience
0:09:01 > 0:09:06in military campaigns both in the West Indies and in France.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09But after the war, he transfers very easily
0:09:09 > 0:09:11and effectively into becoming the Lord Deputy of Ireland.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16He is a senior official in the English administration in Ireland.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20This monument proclaims his power, his glory as if for eternity.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Here he is, his achievements written in stone for all to see,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25dominating the church.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Yes, the monument, we see him dressed in military uniform, for instance.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31But he is kneeling in prayer. He is a man of piety.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35He was someone who believed very much in the Protestant Reformation,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38someone who believed very strongly in conformity with in Ireland.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43In other words, forcing people to go to the established Protestant church.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46This building says so much, doesn't it, about the history of Ulster?
0:09:46 > 0:09:50So, completed, first of all, about 1200 by de Courcy
0:09:50 > 0:09:52but also later on it becomes very important for the arrival
0:09:52 > 0:09:54of the Presbyterians in Ulster.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58In 1642, a Scottish army lands here in Carrickfergus.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02It is sent from Scotland to Ulster to defend the Ulster settlers
0:10:02 > 0:10:05in the wake of the Irish Rising the previous year.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08And in June 1642, the chaplains,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11that is the ordained ministers who accompanied
0:10:11 > 0:10:15the regiments in that army, met probably here -
0:10:15 > 0:10:16we don't know for sure -
0:10:16 > 0:10:20but probably here to form the first Irish presbytery
0:10:20 > 0:10:24and it is from that presbytery that today's
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Presbyterian Church in Ireland is reckoned to descend.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36'The Presbyterians believed in a democratic form of worship. -
0:10:36 > 0:10:39'a church without bishops.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42'These dissenters were viewed with deep suspicion
0:10:42 > 0:10:45'by the established church. Throughout the 17th century,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49'as Presbyterian communities gained a foothold in Ulster,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53'they faced determined resistance from the Church of Ireland.'
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Very few 17th-century churches survive in Ulster
0:11:03 > 0:11:07and even fewer in anything like their original condition
0:11:07 > 0:11:08but one that does and which tells us
0:11:08 > 0:11:11much about the tensions between the Presbyterians
0:11:11 > 0:11:14and the established church in Ireland is this,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16the Middle Church at Ballinderry.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23'During the Cromwellian period, the Church of Ireland lost ground.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27'But when the monarchy was restored to power in 1660,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29'so too were the bishops.'
0:11:30 > 0:11:32'One famous Bishop who would go on
0:11:32 > 0:11:35'to play havoc with Ulster Presbyterians
0:11:35 > 0:11:39'was particularly associated with this County Antrim Church.'
0:11:42 > 0:11:45This interior is a remarkable survival.
0:11:45 > 0:11:51It dates from 1668 and tells us a lot about the form of worship
0:11:51 > 0:11:54within the established church in Ireland in the 17th century.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58It also tells us about life in this parish at that time.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02What was important was the word of God
0:12:02 > 0:12:05so in the middle of the church is this large pulpit.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08A three-decker, with the rector moving from here,
0:12:08 > 0:12:12the middle tier, up to the top tier to deliver his sermon,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14his voice booming out through the entire church,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17projected by this sounding board.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22Less important was a communion table at the east end.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Not an altar but a table.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28But surrounded by an altar rail so still proclaiming this to be
0:12:28 > 0:12:33sacred space but this ritual, less important than the word of God
0:12:33 > 0:12:35delivered from over there in the pulpit.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45On the worldly side, the parish made money by renting out box pews.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Here is a box pew with this door to keep
0:12:47 > 0:12:51the space inside private for the person paying the rent.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Now, these box pews are a wonderful map of the social hierarchy
0:12:55 > 0:12:59of the parish because they were rented for different prices.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Those at the front near the altar or the pulpit were more expensive.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07This is a family pew for one of the leading members of the parish,
0:13:07 > 0:13:09near the east end of the church.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12The poorer people would sit on benches in the aisle here or
0:13:12 > 0:13:15right at the west end, perhaps in the gallery.
0:13:15 > 0:13:21All this was created by a famous bishop and theologian Jeremy Taylor.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Jeremy Taylor was a learned and scholarly man.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34He had been the King's chaplain
0:13:34 > 0:13:37but when Charles I was executed in 1649,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Taylor fled in fear of his life.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44He sought refuge in Ireland and after the Restoration,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47his loyalty to the Crown was rewarded
0:13:47 > 0:13:49and he was made Bishop of Down and Connor.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Can you tell me how Jeremy Taylor came to be here at Ballinderry?
0:13:57 > 0:14:00It seems that he was invited to come as chaplain by Lord Conway,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04who had a sizeable castle down by the lough shore.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07He came in 1658.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12He was chaplain to the household down there and he went into Lisburn
0:14:12 > 0:14:16once a week and gave a lecture on theological matters.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19He was an eloquent preacher and I think that was
0:14:19 > 0:14:23one of the reasons why he was brought by Lord Conway to be his chaplain.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27He wasn't terribly satisfied with his current chaplain.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31This church, which was very much his child, he started it.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34But would you say this was a model of the sort of church that he
0:14:34 > 0:14:37- wanted to be built throughout Ireland?- Yes, I think so.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39It's very much a low church ritual.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42The pulpit is in the centre of the church,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45which is quite different from what we expect today.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49But you have the people all round you and, even today, when we have our
0:14:49 > 0:14:53evening services here in the summer months, that's a lovely experience.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59The Puritan feel of this church belies the fact that Taylor
0:14:59 > 0:15:03was an Anglican who believed in religious conformity and ritual.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07At the time, many Presbyterian ministers were preaching
0:15:07 > 0:15:11in churches that were now reclaimed by the Church of Ireland.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14According to Presbyterians custom,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17these ministers had been ordained by their peers
0:15:17 > 0:15:18and not by a Bishop.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21This was fiercely opposed by Bishop Taylor.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24He and Ulster's Presbyterian ministers were
0:15:24 > 0:15:25now on a collision course.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30Can you tell me how this church
0:15:30 > 0:15:36and Taylor's doctrine represents the tensions in the mid-17th century
0:15:36 > 0:15:40between the Presbyterians and the established church in Ireland?
0:15:40 > 0:15:44When he arrived, most of the ministers were Presbyterian
0:15:44 > 0:15:49and he felt that they should be re-ordained
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and that was a cause for great conflict, of course.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Many of those ministers didn't wish to be re-ordained.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58They felt they had been ordained.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03They refused to comply with his wishes
0:16:03 > 0:16:06and that meant that they left their rectories.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07You say they left but
0:16:07 > 0:16:12did he not physically remove nearly 50% of the ministers?
0:16:12 > 0:16:14I mean, sort of like, you know, 30...
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Yes, it was a question of conforming or leaving
0:16:18 > 0:16:25and he brought quite a number of Englishmen to be his clergy, really.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26He got quite bitter, didn't he?
0:16:26 > 0:16:29He did refer to them, I think, at one point,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33the Presbyterian rectors, as these sort of Scottish spiders.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35He did. He had quite a tough time.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38I gather, when he called his first synod of the church,
0:16:38 > 0:16:39on only two clergy turned up.
0:16:41 > 0:16:47And he later on referred to his time as Bishop as being his Purgatory.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50'Ulster Presbyterians would long remember Bishop Taylor
0:16:50 > 0:16:53'as one of the first and most formidable enemies.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56'But he is remembered here in Ballinderry
0:16:56 > 0:16:59'as the founder of this truly wonderful church.'
0:17:00 > 0:17:02But the stress took its toll.
0:17:02 > 0:17:09His health failed and he died in Lisburn in 1667, aged just 53.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12'Sadly, he didn't live to see the church completed.'
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Bishop Taylor wanted to be buried here,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21a wish that would remain unfulfilled,
0:17:21 > 0:17:25just like his desire to see Ireland rid of troublesome Presbyterians.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Just 100 years after the eviction of ministers by Jeremy Taylor,
0:17:34 > 0:17:39the Presbyterian Church had grown to become a vibrant, dynamic
0:17:39 > 0:17:41and radical force in Ulster.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Tucked away here, set back from the street is
0:17:46 > 0:17:50the First Presbyterian Church of Rosemary Street.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55Now, from the outside, it looks modest, indeed pretty unexceptional.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59But this is one of the few remnants of one of the most extraordinary
0:17:59 > 0:18:02periods in the political and social history of Ulster.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15Since 1644, a Presbyterian community has gathered here in Belfast.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20This church was completed in 1783 -
0:18:20 > 0:18:23the same year in which the American War of Independence ended.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28'This beautiful building reflected the growing prosperity
0:18:28 > 0:18:31'of the Presbyterian community who worshipped here
0:18:31 > 0:18:33'but they lived in troubled times.'
0:18:35 > 0:18:39The church seemed to be a metaphor for age.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44All seems calm, ordered, unchanging.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48Yet those were turbulent times and, in places like this,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51plans were being made to turn the world upside down.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00'Excluded from political power just like their Catholic neighbours,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03'many Presbyterians became increasingly radical
0:19:03 > 0:19:05'in the late 18th-century
0:19:05 > 0:19:08'as they were swept up in the revolutionary spirit of the age.'
0:19:20 > 0:19:25From the pulpit, ideas were preached that were revolutionary
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and that ran counter to the establishment view
0:19:28 > 0:19:30of correct political and social order.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53The minister here in the mid-18th century was
0:19:53 > 0:19:56the Reverend Thomas Drennan,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00a man well-known for his liberal and enlightened views.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04I've been told there is a portrait of him. Here it is. Here we are.
0:20:04 > 0:20:05Very nice.
0:20:05 > 0:20:11A fair clerical wig. The Reverend Drennan.
0:20:11 > 0:20:17On the back, I believe, is... Ah, wonderful. 18th century hand.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21..a text that reflects upon his character.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25In fact, it is a selection from three Shakespeare plays.
0:20:25 > 0:20:32Words that honour the man. The last piece here is from Julius Caesar.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36'His life was gentle and the elements so mixed in him
0:20:36 > 0:20:39'that nature might stand up
0:20:39 > 0:20:43'and say to all the world, "This was a man." '
0:20:43 > 0:20:48This was written, in fact, by one of the men that was most influenced
0:20:48 > 0:20:51by Reverend Thomas Drennan -
0:20:51 > 0:20:55his own son William Drennan, who became a very noted patriot.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00William Drennan was a radical Presbyterian who fought what
0:21:00 > 0:21:04he perceived to be abuses of power. Can you tell me more about him?
0:21:04 > 0:21:07William Drennan was a doctor who was actually practising in Dublin,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09born in Belfast.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12And he writes to his brother-in-law something about,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15"Are you a member of the church here?" And what he sets out is
0:21:15 > 0:21:18something about a brotherhood of Catholic, Protestant, etc.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21And then October 1791, in Belfast, in the Crown Tavern,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24the very first meeting of the United Irishmen took place.
0:21:24 > 0:21:25Right, right.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28The idea was, really, just a reform of Parliament cos the Presbyterians
0:21:28 > 0:21:31of Belfast felt they weren't represented in Dublin parliament.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33They were inspired, I suppose, to a large degree,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36by the American revolution, the French Revolution.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Belfast, at the time, because of its radical tradition,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41- was referred to as the Boston of the North.- Yeah.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45You would have seen the volunteers, sort of a standby army,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48parading around Belfast, celebrating Bastille Day and in
0:21:48 > 0:21:52the High Street you would have seen American and French flags flying.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58'Those ideals of liberty, fraternity and equality
0:21:58 > 0:22:00'would lead to the rebellion of 1798,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04'during which many thousands of people lost their lives.'
0:22:05 > 0:22:10William Drennan played no active part in the United Irishmen's
0:22:10 > 0:22:12rebellion of 1798.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Indeed, before the rebellion, the organisation had been largely
0:22:15 > 0:22:19driven underground and Drennan himself arrested for sedition.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23Although he was acquitted,
0:22:23 > 0:22:29Drennan withdrew from the society he had helped to inspire but throughout
0:22:29 > 0:22:33his life he remained committed to the cause of Catholic emancipation.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41'Although the 1798 rising failed, it set reform in motion
0:22:41 > 0:22:45'and in 1829, nine years after William Drennan's death,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47'the Catholic Relief Act delivered
0:22:47 > 0:22:50'one of the aims of the United Irishmen -
0:22:50 > 0:22:52'Catholic emancipation.'
0:22:57 > 0:23:02Previously, Roman Catholics had to worship at a mass rock, in cottages
0:23:02 > 0:23:07or simple, out of the way churches without spires or bells.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11'But following the emancipation they were to embark on a major
0:23:11 > 0:23:16'programme of church building and they were to do so in style.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19'This is St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh.'
0:23:25 > 0:23:28The Cathedral, as it is here today, was designed
0:23:28 > 0:23:35in 1849 by James McCarthy but it took just over 50 years to complete.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40Its design was inspired by the English architect Augustus Pugin,
0:23:40 > 0:23:42a passionate advocate of the Gothic revival.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50'But these 19th-century buildings also took their cue
0:23:50 > 0:23:55'from the remnants and ruins of earlier churches and monasteries.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57'It was as if they sought to recreate the confidence
0:23:57 > 0:24:00'and prosperity of Christianity's golden age.'
0:24:02 > 0:24:06'The Christian architecture of the Gothic revival
0:24:06 > 0:24:08'became the national style.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11'It suited the hierarchical and ritualistic structure
0:24:11 > 0:24:14'of the Catholic Church, with its long nave and remote altar.'
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Pugin, a Catholic convert,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24stated that great Catholic churches should evoke amongst
0:24:24 > 0:24:27their congregations a sense of reverence
0:24:27 > 0:24:32and amongst non-Catholics a sense of admiration.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42But the building was not without its problems.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47Construction began in 1840 but work was halted just six years later
0:24:47 > 0:24:51when the Cathedral's building fund was redirected to help
0:24:51 > 0:24:53the victims of the famine.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58In the 1850s, a new primate of Armagh, Dr Dixon,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00took a novel approach to fundraising.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05He organised the first of a series of grand bazaars.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10'It raised over £7,000 - a remarkable sum for the times.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13'Even more remarkable were his prizes.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16'Napoleon III donated rare vases,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18'The Emperor of Austria sent a table
0:25:18 > 0:25:22'and the Pope gave a statue of the Madonna.'
0:25:22 > 0:25:25One of the items not collected after the bazaar is
0:25:25 > 0:25:29still in the church, hidden away in here, the sacristy.
0:25:29 > 0:25:35Ah, there it is. This long case clock. A wonderful thing.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Offered to the church to raise money at the bazaar. Tickets were sold.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41The winner was in the United States.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44They bought the ticket and never came to collect the clock.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48So it sits here majestically, still ticking away.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50A monument, of course, to the extraordinary methods
0:25:50 > 0:25:55used in the 1850s to raise money to help complete the cathedral.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11I think, in a sense,
0:26:11 > 0:26:16this cathedral was very much built with the pennies of the faithful.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24In a real sense, this primatial cathedral symbolised, you know,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28the resurrection of the Catholic people.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36This cathedral was a great statement.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41First and foremost of trust in God and this cathedral is here,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44first and foremost, for the glory of God.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49But I think it was also a statement of growing confidence that the
0:26:49 > 0:26:55dark days, to some degree, were behind and that people could
0:26:55 > 0:26:59look forward to a brighter future in some sense.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07But I suppose, with such a tremendous history
0:27:07 > 0:27:13and such kind of efforts to raise the funds to complete the building
0:27:13 > 0:27:17over many decades, it must be amazing for you to work within it.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20What is it like to officiate in this space?
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Well, I suppose, in a sense, it is a great privilege
0:27:24 > 0:27:27because it is a very sacred space.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35In a sense, I think a cathedral, in a real way,
0:27:35 > 0:27:41is meant to bring our attention to the majesty of God.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45In some sense, it is meant to take us away from ourselves and
0:27:45 > 0:27:50from ordinary and daily life and allow us to think of higher things.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Despite their varied appearances,
0:27:58 > 0:28:04all churches are, in their different ways, built to the glory of God
0:28:04 > 0:28:08to allow us to get closer to the divine.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10They are designed to emulate
0:28:10 > 0:28:13the beauty, the wisdom,
0:28:13 > 0:28:15the wonder of creation.
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