The society was awarded grant funding of \u20ac13,356 from the Heritage Council to restore and relocate the organ to St Patrick\u2019s Church, Doon. Stephen Adams, an organ builder from Carlow, was engaged to complete the project.<\/p>\n
Parishioners and visitors will have the opportunity to listen to the \u201cvery sonorous and sweet sound\u201d of the pipe organ at a special event in the church this Saturday at 6.30pm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The evening will also promote the Irish language and music with a performance of the \u00d3 Riada Mass by D\u00fan Bleisce parish choir. The Mass will be celebrated by parish priest Fr Jimmy Donnelly with Deacon Tom Anderson assisting.<\/p>\n
Mairead Quigley is the parish resident organist and her brother \u00c9amonn will be guest accompanist.\u00a0 He is travelling from the UK especially for the occasion.<\/p>\n
The sound of the organ will be enhanced by the choir, directed by Assumpta U\u00ed Riain, who with Miche\u00e1l Kennedy, of D\u00fan Bleisce Historical and Literary Society, spearheaded the entire project.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ilim_Members_of_Doon_parish_beside_the_restored_pipe_organ_11-8-25_2-1755177267263.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
While pianists believe that \u201cthe pedal is the soul of the piano\u201d. Assumpta describes the pipes as the soul of the organ. \u201cNothing can replicate the sound of the pipe organ,\u201d she declares.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Donal Anderson, chairperson of the historical society, said the Convent of Mercy was in existence in Doon for over 150 years from 1865 to 2016 after then parish priest Fr Hickey invited Mercy sisters in Kinsale to come to East Limerick.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was central to the village, parish and further afield. The convent developed incrementally over the decades, establishing extensive primary and secondary boarding and day schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUp to 800 students attended the school staffed by 50 Sisters at its peak.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Victorian pipe organ is a tangible and intangible link to the musical heritage associated with the Convent of Mercy over the generations,\u201d said Donal.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ilim_Members_of_Doon_parish_beside_the_restored_pipe_organ_11-8-25_5-1755177312463.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
In reviewing the application for grant funding, the Heritage Council said the project holds significant cultural importance as it \u201cpreserves a vital piece of musical and historical heritage\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe organ, with its rich history and connection to the Convent of Mercy, meets all the criteria for conservation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIts relocation to St Patrick\u2019s Parish Church ensures accessibility and inclusion, allowing future generations to appreciate its historical value and enjoy its soulful music in congregational worship and community events.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAn organised, experienced, and competent group will ensure this project is seen through to completion. It is a distinctive and interesting idea for National Heritage Week,\u201d say the Heritage Council.<\/p>\n
Those planning to attend Saturday evening\u2019s Mass in Doon are advised to arrive early as a large crowd is expected. A special commemorative booklet will be distributed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
See the D\u00fan Bleisce Historical and Literary Society\u2019s Facebook page for more on the project, including choir director Assumpta\u2019s talented daughter, Ellen, beautifully telling the story of Ceol\u00e1n while sitting at the organ.<\/p>\n
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ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A VICTORIAN pipe organ that has been silent for years will once again enchant audiences at a special…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2280,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[9,10,889,2738,18,13,14,6,19,17,11,12,15,16,5,7,8],"class_list":{"0":"post-2279","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-county-limerick","11":"tag-doon","12":"tag-eire","13":"tag-featured-news","14":"tag-featurednews","15":"tag-headlines","16":"tag-ie","17":"tag-ireland","18":"tag-latest-news","19":"tag-latestnews","20":"tag-main-news","21":"tag-mainnews","22":"tag-news","23":"tag-top-stories","24":"tag-topstories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2279\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}