400th celebrations continue at Lisburn Cathedral

Monday May 15th 2023

Lisburn Cathedral is celebrating 400 years of worship on the Cathedral site this year. Photo: Des Cairns Architects.

Lisburn Cathedral will be hosting a big celebration weekend in June as the Cathedral continues to mark its 400^th year. This will run from June 9-11.

Prior to that, a Gala Dinner will be held in Edenmore Golf Club, Magheralin, this Friday, May 19, and an exhibition hosted by the Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum exhibition marking 400 years of worship on the Cathedral site will be launched at the end of May.

The Cathedral is inviting as many former parishioners and clergy as can be located, asking them to attend one of more of the events or watch the streamed service and sign up for electronic versions of our the Cathedral magazine.

The programme for the weekend is: Friday June 9 – Brazilian BBQ in Castle Gardens 7pm; Saturday June 10 at 1pm – Afternoon Tea in the Cathedral with actors in period costume acting out Lisburn in the 1620s; and Sunday June 11 – Celebration Service with the Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev George Davison.

Looking ahead, on October 29 there will be a concert by New Irish Arts.

As part of the celebrations, the Cathedral has just held the first of five history talks. Titled ‘From St Thomas private place of worship to becoming a parish church to being destroyed in a battle to becoming a Cathedral in just 40 years,’ this talk is likely to be repeated later in the year.

The other four talks will be held as follows:

June 3 – The Cathedral and Society over the centuries.
June 17 – A panel of 3-4 people born and bred in Lisburn will discuss their experiences in the Cathedral in the 50s and 60s
September 16 – Conflicts local and international
October 21 – Lilian and the 1914 bomb (a group to suffragettes led by Lilian Metge detonated a bomb outside the main window of the Cathedral)