02/09/2026
CROSSING BORDERS & CROSSING BARRIERS
On Friday 3 July 2026 the chamber choir from Armagh Cathedral, the Armagh Diocesan Singers, embarked on its first tour, travelling to the city of Dublin. Founded in 2018 and drawn from the length and breadth of the diocese of Armagh, and with members coming from as far afield as Jordanstown, Banbridge, Warrenpoint and Omagh, the choir meets once a month to sing Evensong in St Patrick’s (Church of Ireland) Cathedral in Armagh. In addition, they sing on St Patrick’s Day, Maundy Thursday and other occasional special events.
Under the direction of their founder, the Ven Dr Peter Thompson, and accompanied by Stephen Furphy on the organ, the choir has developed an impressive repertoire of choral music which includes well known favourites such as Faure’s Requiem, choruses from Handel’s Messiah, Christmas carols and music of every period and style from renaissance polyphony to world premieres of newly composed music.
The Dublin tour began on Friday afternoon in the Carmelite Church on Whitefriar Street, where, for the first time since its foundation, the choir sang at a Mass, at the invitation of the Carmelite community and their director of music, Dr Carole O’Connor. The choir was made feel extremely welcome by the celebrant, Fr Brian McKay, and all the staff and community of the church. The very large afternoon congregation was particularly appreciative, and many made time to speak to the singers and thank them for taking the time to enrich their worship with beautiful music. After Mass the choir made its way to Churchtown, where it was accommodated in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, experiencing a little of what life is like for ordinands in training in the Church of Ireland. After a brief rest, the singers adjourned to a local hostelry where any calories burned off by the singing were soon replaced with a sumptuous meal, and a great night’s craic was enjoyed by all.
On Saturday afternoon the singers made their way back to the city centre, to St Patrick’s Cathedral, the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland, where they sang the first of three services, a service of choral evensong. The congregation included a large number of tourists of many nationalities. The music on Saturday included an anthem from the most famous son of Armagh, Charles Wood, the centenary of whose death was being marked that month. The choir was welcomed warmly by the Dean of the Cathedral, Dr William Morton (himself a native of Armagh), and the Cathedral’s director of music, Stuart Nicholson.
On Sunday the choir returned to sing at two services, performing music by Haydn, Tallis, Stanford and their director of music, Peter Thompson, finishing the weekend with John Ireland’s magnificent anthem, Greater Love — a real tour de force. The journey home paused for yet another wonderful meal in the Monasterboice Inn, before the singers returned home tired, but very satisfied.
The Dean of Armagh, the Very Reverend Shane Forster, said, “I want to commend and congratulate Dr Thompson and the Diocesan Singers for being wonderful ambassadors for Armagh Cathedral and for church music in general. We greatly appreciate the involvement of the Diocesan Singers in services in the Cathedral and it is pleasing to know that their summer tour was so successful and warmly welcomed in Dublin.”
