Church Going, by Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha
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What is Philip Larkin’s poem “Church Going” and why does it matter?
One of my favourite poems in any language Is church going by Philip Larkin? A quintessentially English poet, a firm atheist, with, it must be noted, controversial views on many topics, This poem nevertheless bestows on his narrator an awkward reverence and As he visits an empty church and ponders its eventual fate. When churches fall completely out of use? What shall we turn them into? The poem asks us. When I was growing up in East Onegal Protestants went to services in churches, and Catholics went to mass in chapels. I was a devout child. And my first public speaking training was at Mass. When I climbed the marble steps, peered into the big red book on the plinth, and read to the congregation.
How did the host’s childhood worship experiences shape their view of churches?
The first reading, the second reading. This is the word of the Lord. As I've grown older And more ecumenical in my outlook. I've taken an interest in Protestant churches. And in the past year. Like Philip Lurkin, I've embarked on church going. My friend, Larry Or Lawrence Hines, artist and photographer. took me on a spin to the Church of Ireland Cathedral of St. Brendan in Clunfort, East Galway. Famous for its intricate Hiberno Romanesque doorway. You can't just walk into this church.
What does the visit to St. Brendan’s Cathedral reveal about Irish church architecture?
First, find the keeper in a nearby house who will grant you a heavy silvery key that sinks deep into the keyhole. Larry pushes open the heavy wooden door. Inside. The cathedral air is colder than the early spring afternoon. The famous carved mermaid is on the wall near the organ, beneath a nodd carving and three angels. The mermaid, who seems to raise her hand in greeting, is shinier than the other carvings, polished and buffed by human hands over the centuries. Do people touch her for luck? Larkin, in his poem, considers the future ruins of these places, asking Will dubious women come to make their children touch a particular stone? I listen to the soft clicking of Larry's camera as we stand in the sacristy.
In this dusty room. Where people don vestments for service? Two narrow windows above an old table seem to let in the light of the earth itself.
Why do visitors touch the carved mermaid and other sacred objects in churches?
I spend a lot of time on all Hallows campus in Drumcondra. Beside that campus is a small church. The Church of St. John the Baptist In the graveyard? I walk there one May day. With my fellow writer, Joe Farakofarta. We call into the small church, carpeted in red, and And note the importance of books in Protestant churches. The Bible here is displayed on a special golden plinth held up in the empty church with Proffered. Catholic chapels have missiles and newsletters, sure. But Protestant churches almost resemble libraries.
How do Protestant churches function like libraries and what role do visitor books play?
We scratch our signatures into the visitor's book. Feeling that we should mark our visit. We stroll around to Saint John's Holy Well on the church grounds, whose water is said to contain a cure for sore eyes. We sit on a white bench at the westernmost end of the graveyard, discussing Irish language screenplays and Joe's latest short story. Before us rows upon rows of grey headstones face away from us to the east, some emblazoned with poppies, some with a starry plough. A rose bush releases its fragrance on the air, and from the silent church bell a dove swoops. On Ackle Island. I stumble upon St. Thomas's church. Service is at three PM Every Sunday during the summer season. I walked down in the mist. And turn right.
What is the significance of the hymnal, the Book of Common Prayer, and the hymn “Amazing Grace” in the island service?
into a leafy avenue that leads to the church. This church was once part of the colony. A proselytizing mission that aimed to turn the islanders to the true faith. Back in the nineteenth century. Opposed fiercely by the Catholic Archbishop of Tom, John McGeel. No such sectarian tensions remain as I walk into the church and am handed two books. The church hymnal thick and red And the book of common prayer? Thinner and green? I sit at the back of the small congregation and turn the pages of the green book. Following the words of the minister? A different sort of Christianity. But a familiar text?
Why does Larkin (and the host) argue that churches remain essential in modern life?
Black for the minister? Red for our response. After his sermon The minister announces that a man called James is going to sing Amazing Grace for us. The pianist begins And James sings, filling the church with his voice.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is Philip Larkin’s poem “Church Going” and why does it matter?
0:00–1:02
2
How did the host’s childhood worship experiences shape their view of churches?
1:02–1:43
3
What does the visit to St. Brendan’s Cathedral reveal about Irish church architecture?
1:43–3:01
4
Why do visitors touch the carved mermaid and other sacred objects in churches?
3:01–3:50
5
How do Protestant churches function like libraries and what role do visitor books play?
3:50–4:53
6
What is the significance of the hymnal, the Book of Common Prayer, and the hymn “Amazing Grace” in the island service?
4:53–5:42
7
Why does Larkin (and the host) argue that churches remain essential in modern life?
5:42–6:54