Did you know the bell that features in the White Christmas Guinness TV ad resides in Christ Church Cathedral?
The light tenor bell, one of 19 in the cathedral, rings on the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve – its solemn but beautiful chimes reverberating around the city. Such is the soundtrack to many occasions around Dublin city at Christmas.
The Guinness family donated the bells of neighbouring St Patrick’s Cathedral, but not those of Christ Church. For that, we must thank the Dublin whiskey distiller, Henry Roe, who in the 1870s donated £230,000 (€35 million today) for the restoration of the cathedral.
We have much to thank him for. As any Dubliner will attest, the plaintive and powerful chimes of the Christ Church Cathedral bells are a joy to hear at any time.
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You could say they’re the unofficial soundtrack to Dublin life, and in a fast-changing world, they remain a reassuring constant. But such sweet music would not be possible were it not the bell ringers, a group of 14 people who volunteer their time.
Heading up the group is the ringing master, Raymond Cregan, a jovial man with a passion for ringing. “This is the only tower in the world with 19 bells for full-circle ringing,” he says. “Full-circle ringing means the bell is raised into a vertical position and then tipped over. It falls down and goes around on a wheel and up the other side, so it rotates 360 degrees. Then we tip it back down. The effort is in giving the bell enough energy to come back up the other side.”
Bell ringing has taken place here for hundreds of years. Christ Church was founded as a Viking church at the highest point in the city in 1028. Although it’s now Church of Ireland, the cathedral has been Protestant and Catholic at different periods in time, and these days, welcomes people of all creeds.
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Raising bells for full-circle ringing began at the start of the 17th century, and not long after, mathematicians began marking patterns of ringing, many of which are still in use.
The oldest bell in Christ Church was installed in 1738 in the belfry above the bell room, a round stone-walled room reached via two sets of stone spiral staircases, connected by an outdoor ledge. The room has changed little since it was refurbished in the 1870s, and remarkably the sound of the bells here is not overwhelming, because the noise echoes outward.
This is where the ropes of the 19 bells hang, each with a sally – a long fluffy section – designed to avoid rope burn. It’s where members of the guild from all walks of life gather to practice on a Friday evening. The youngest among them is just 14 and the eldest is his 80s. They’re a convivial bunch.
“I personally love the camaraderie of the experience,” says Cregan. “You get hooked on ringing a bell. It becomes like a fix.”
There’s certainly a meditational quality to the rhythmic sound of the ringing and a satisfaction in doing it with others. For some, it’s also a stress release.
Sara Woods, originally from Birmingham, but now living in Stoneybatter, joined the Christ Church bell ringers while pregnant with her now three-month daughter, Delilah. “I was trying everything to make her come,” she says of the baby. “In fact I was bell ringing on a Friday and she arrived the following Tuesday.” Perhaps because she heard the bells in the womb, baby Delilah seems unfazed by the sound and only starts to cry when the ringing stops. “She’s hungry and the bells are a distraction,” says Woods, lifting the baby to her breast.
City centre resident Vyvyenne Chamberlain, has been ringing the bells for 55 years, having begun when she was 15. “It gave me a social life and meant I could join other churches as a bell ringer,” she says. “I like the music; ringing as part of a team; and competing all over Ireland.”
It also keeps her fit. “In general life we don’t raise our hands above our bodies enough,” she says. “But with bell ringing, you’ve got two hands going up and down repeatedly, so it possibly lowers our blood pressure. It’s also a stress release because you have to be mindful when you’re ringing and focus on just one thing.
“There’s a skill to it,” she adds. “The irony is that people don’t see it so there can be a misconception that the music is recorded, but at Christ Church, this is not the case.”
“Christ Church is a modern, open community – anyone would feel welcome here,” says Cregan. “We’re always looking for more bell ringers. Although, if you do join our bell-ringing community we ask that you respect the tradition.”
New Year’s Eve is the real party, however, when the bell ringers assemble to mark the start of the year. “The table in the centre of the room is covered with food and drink and there’s always a fantastic atmosphere,” says Cregan. “It’s really a unique and very special experience.”
