Reflecting on the role of religion in Cootehill over 300 years
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Guest speakers at the Tercentenary Ecumenical Gathering as part of The Cootehill 300 Celebrations at the talk in St Aidan’s Comprehensive Scjhool on Saturday. Seated (from left) Margaret Finn, Patrick Cassidy and Anne-Marie Woods; back, Fr John Cooney, Mark Kernohan, Rev Ian Horner and Rev Daryl Edwards. Alex Coleman.Image 2 of 5
Members of the Cootehill 300 Committee and local public representatives at the event. Seated (from left): Connie Whelan, Bridget Boyle and Jean Kirwan; back, John Joe Lennon, Mary-Brigid Duffy, Deputy Brendan Smith, Angela Flanagan, principal, St Aidan’s Comprehensive; Patrick Cassidy, local historian; Cllr Clifford Kelly and Margaret Bannon, manager, Cootehill Library. Alex Coleman.Image 3 of 5
Local Historian Patrick Cassidy planting an oak tree at St Aidan’s Comprehensive at the Tercentenary Ecumenical Gathering on Saturday afternoon last. From left: Patrick Cassidy, Deputy Brendan Smith, Mark Kernohan, Rev Daryl Edwards, Margaret Finn, Anne-Marie Woods, Rev Ian Horner, Margaret Bannon, Cllr Clifford Kelly, Connie Whelan, Mary-Brigid Duffy, Jean Kirwan, John Joe Lennon and Angela Flanagan.PHOTOS: ALEX COLEMAN Alex Coleman.Image 4 of 5
Students from St Aidan’s Comprehensive School provided some music at the ecumenical gathering. Alex Coleman.Image 5 of 5
Brian Reynolds, Anne-Marie Woods catching up with her Maudabawn roots, Ollie Woods and Rositha Reynolds at the Tercentenary Ecumenical Gathering on Saturday in Cootehill. Alex Coleman.- Michael McDonnell -
COOTEHILL’S rich religious heritage was reflected on and celebrated at a well-attended event in St Aidan’s Comprehensive School last Saturday, where guests of honour included representatives of the six main Christian denominations that interacted with each other as part of the town’s ever-evolving story from the 17th century onwards.
The ecumenical gathering was organised as one of the Tercentenary celebrations marking 300 years since Thomas Coote obtained a fairs and markets patent on July 3, 1725, thereby officially elevating the fledgling Cootehill to market town status.
Following a welcome from Angela Flanagan, St Aidan’s school principal, the main historical presentation, entitled ‘Church, Chapel, Meeting House and Mass House’, was given by local historian Patrick Cassidy, who said the event was about remembering all the churches that celebrated Christian worship and contributed to community life in the town over the last 300 years and more.
Mr Cassidy’s discourse included maps, illustrations, photographs and timelines covering all the main players and buildings relating to the various religious groups that grew in Cootehill as it flourished as a centre of the linen trade in Ulster in the decades following Coote’s patent.
Short contributions on the role of their respective faiths now and in past were given by Mark Kernohan of the Moravian Church, Rev Ian Horner from Church of Ireland, Rev Daryl Edwards of the Presbyterian Church, Rev John Cooney PP of the Roman Catholic Church, Anne Marie Woods from Quakers In Ireland and Margaret Finn of the Methodist Church.
The theme of the event was enhanced by contemporary and traditional pieces of music from some of the students at St Aidan’s, and following refreshments the upbeat event concluded with a tree-planting ceremony in the school grounds to add another marker to the Cootehill Tercentenary.
Promoted by the Cootehill 300 Committee, the tercentenary year was launched in January with a specially-themed calendar highlighted by photos going back to the late 1800s. The historical thread was further underlined by many impressive floats and costumes during the St Patrick’s Day parade in March. Aisteoirí Muinchille played their part with a recent highly successful run of Martin Lynch’s drama, ‘Lay up Your Ends’, the setting of which chimed with Cootehill’s historical connections to the linen trade.
Saturday’s ecumenical gathering was the latest in the line of events programmed to mark the 300 years, while the next major outing will be an open-air concert headlined by Marcus Magee and The Hollaw Men at Cootehill GAA’s Hugh O'Reilly Park on July 6. Heritage events in August, and the Culture Night and Gerry Whelan Memorial Weekend in September will also take on a flavour of the tercentenary.
Other events pencilled in include a scarecrow competition and the St Michael’s NS Parents Association Spooky Walk for Halloween as well as arts and poetry projects involving local schools. The tercentenary will come to a finale with festive season activities including Christmas markets and a drone and fireworks display.
The Cootehill 300 Committee is again encouraging people to submit any old photos or stories relating to the town, with the object being to build up a strong archive of material reflecting the changing aspects of the community over the years and perhaps forming a ‘Cootehill Through the Decades’-themed exhibition or online resource (email Cootehill300@gmail.com).