THE twinning of Irish towns and cities with towns and cities in Europe and further afield is now commonplace, and the potential benefits, social, economic and cultural, which can flow from such associations are readily appreciated. For some years Dublin has been twinned with San Jose, in California, and more recently a similar link has been established with Liverpool. In both instances these links have also had an ecclesiastical dimension with Christ Church Cathedral receiving visits from representatives of the cathedrals in these cities.
Now the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough are to be twinned with the Diocese of Bangor in north Wales. For some time the dioceses have been exploring the possibility of an association and links have already been formed at some levels. Last year young people from Bangor joined the Dublin and Glendalough Youth Camps in Gurteen College, some Welsh parishes have formed links with their Irish counterparts, and there have been exchanges between personnel in Christ Church and St Deiniol's cathedrals.
Tomorrow the official Irish launch of the new diocesan links will take place at Evensong in Christ Church Cathedral where the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Walton Empey, will be joined by the Bishop of Bangor, Dr Barry Morgan.
On Sunday, March 21st, a contingent from Dublin and Glendalough will travel to St Deiniol's Cathedral for the Welsh launch at which the preacher will be the Archbishop of Dublin. The dates of these events are significant. The Irish launch takes place on the Sunday nearest St David's Day and the Welsh launch on the Sunday nearest St Patrick's Day.
Today the chaplain of Trinity College Dublin, Dr Alan McCormack, will lead a group of staff and students on a visit to Armagh where they will be received by both Archbishops of Armagh, Dr Robin Eames and Dr Sean Brady. In the National Concert Hall, the broadcaster Tim Thurston, who is also a member of the choir of St Bartholomew's Church, Dublin, will give the first in a series of talks on music. These will take place from 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. in the Carolan Room every Saturday until the end of March.
Tomorrow RTE will televise a celebration of the Eucharist with the staff and students of the Theological College. The preacher and celebrant will be the ChaplainTutor, the Rev Norman McCause land. The Bishop of Limerick, the Right Rev Edward Darling, will visit Kinnity and Aghancon, while in St Bartholomew's Church the Lenten preacher will be the Dean of Cork, Dr Michael Jackson.
In St Ann's Church, Dublin, the fourth concert in the Bach Festival 1999 series will be held at 3.30 p.m. with the orchestra of St Cecelia, the chamber choir, Canticum Novum, and soloists Helen Hassett (soprano), Collette McGahon (mezzo-soprano) and Robin Tritschler (tenor).
On Monday there will be a lunchtime concert in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, by the Villanova University Choir, while in Trinity College Chapel the evening liturgy will be facilitated by the staff and students of the Theological College.
On Wednesday evening Mr Cliff Taylor, Business Editor of The Irish Times, and Mr Derek Keogh, former chief executive of Aer Rianta, will speak in the Lenten programme on ethics which has been organised by the churches in Malahide and Portmarnock. The Lenten series continues at lunchtime in the Joly Theatre, Trinity College, where Caoimhe de Barra, of Trocaire, will give a talk on poverty.