Madam, – I was delighted to read Brian O’Connell’s article about the Henk van Eeken organ, built and installed in Crosshaven, Co Cork (Life Culture, November 4th).
I was fortunate to attend part of the organ dedication weekend in Holy Trinity Church in October and was hugely impressed, not only by the beauty of the instrument (a 17th-century replica mechanical pipe organ) and the way it is situated in the church, but by how the whole project grew out of the community that commissioned it and the way in which people have embraced it.
The organ project and the church restoration project occurred in tandem, the church community recognising that both were interlinked.
The specification of the organ grew out of the liturgical practice of the church and the architectural demands of the building. It takes courage and vision to undertake such projects, and it is inspiring to see that the church community never compromised on artistic integrity.
To my mind, the commissioning and building of this organ ranks with the commissioning and building of the new Wexford Opera House. They are obviously different in scale and function, but both are world-class artistic endeavours in which excellence has been the guiding principle.
Both contribute to their local communities and to their country at the highest level.
Everyone involved in the Holy Trinity Church organ project deserves praise for this outstanding addition to Ireland’s cultural landscape. – Yours, etc,