Culture Night experience at Holycross Abbey was very special

It was a crisp, bright evening in Holycross on Friday 23rd September -the kind of evening that reminds you that the Equinox has slipped past and that we’re comfortably settled into Autumn.

With the Equinox comes Culture Night and we gathered in the Cloister of Holycross Abbey to celebrate this; a free event, run annually throughout the country at various locations by the Arts Council and the local Authority Arts Offices – in this case Tipperary County Council Arts Office. Culture Night celebrates culture, creativity and the arts and has been running since 2006.

The title of our celebration here in Holycross was “Hidden Mythical Beasts of Holycross Abbey” and the event was co-ordinated by Philip and Liz Quinn of Stonemad Sculpture Studios and the Tour Guides of Holycross Abbey

We began with some very evocative readings of poetry and prose by Ger Egan, one of the Abbey Tour Guides, which painted a great picture of the lives of the monks throughout various stages of the history of the Abbey.

John Judge, another Tour Guide, was on hand to guide us around the outside of various buildings; the dormitory, the infirmary and the refectory and Philip pointed out some of the interesting and unique stone features, often very high up on these buildings all around the perimeter.

Liz told us a little about her own personal connection to Michael and Gabriel, the magnificent bronze bells hanging in the Bell Tower, which were found in her family grave – the Lanigans – in Buolick Church, near Gortnahoe. As dusk fell we shone a spotlight on Angels, Yales and Grotesques; all of which have been serenely looking down at Holycross Village for centuries.

Teresa Mason, also a Tour Guide in the Abbey, gave us a riveting account of the significance of the Síle Na Gig on ancient Irish buildings, including the one here at Holycross.

We then returned to our starting point in the Cloister, where Philip displayed some of the tools used in stone masonry; tools which have changed very little since the building of the Abbey. He gave us a glimpse into the laborious work which would have taken place, and then talked about the team of workers – blacksmiths and masons – who would have attended the master mason, giving us all a greater appreciation of the craft, skill and time that went into creating not only the wonderful carvings, but indeed the intricate corner stones, window surrounds and perfectly symmetrical doorways.

Philip brought up a capable young man from the audience to assist in cracking a large piece of limestone, using “plugs and feathers” and we were all entertained by the musical ring of the hammer on steel, the sound changing with each beat, until the audible “pop” as the stone gave way, revealing fossils of creatures laid down millions of years ago.

The Tour Guides offered some tantalising stories of the magnificent carvings that are within the walls of the Abbey, with promises of tales of the Whispering Arch, the Constant Drop and the Tomb of The Good Woman’s Son for everyone who comes on a tour of Holycross Abbey.

Tours can be arranged by contacting the Parish Office in Holycross Abbey, 0504 43124 or by emailing holycrossabbeytours @gmail.com.

A sincere thanks to Fr Tierney of Holycross Abbey and to one and all of the great crowd who turned out on the night- the interest from the audience really makes the atmosphere.

Finally, a huge thanks to the Arts Office in Tipperary County Council and to the Arts Council, for bringing us Culture Night and also so many other wonderful cultural events throughout the year, every year.

All of our lives are so much richer as a result.