The Redundant Bells of St Nicholas, Cork - Ringing World Article.

[billy_clarke03]

May I ask if there was any representation made by the IACR to try 
and retain these bells as a complete 8?

Billy Clarke


--- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, matthewhigby at ... wrote:
>
>  
> Martin has asked me if I  will forward this to this list. Matthew. 
> 
> The Redundant Bells of St Nicholas,  Cork. 
> It was towards the end of May that I brought to  the attention of 
the ringing 
> fraternity the plight of the above mentioned bells,  a complete 
eight by J 
> Murphy of Dublin, which the historians and members of the  bell 
hanging trade 
> will realise are quite rare. 
> This morning we witnessed the back four of  these bells being 
loaded onto a 
> lorry for their final journey to Taylor’s, Eayre  and Smith, 
where they are 
> likely to meet with a sledgehammer on or very shortly  after their 
arrival there. 
>   
> Although Matthew Higby and Co. have, for the  time being at least, 
retained 
> the front four bells with a view to possibly  reusing them as the 
back four of 
> a light six,  or for augmentations of existing rings,  it is also 
possible 
> that these bells may, too, suffer the same fate as their  larger 
counterparts.   
> Four months have now passed since,  effectively, notice was given 
regarding 
> these bells, and not withstanding the  fact that several enquires 
have been 
> made regarding them, no genuine offers have  been forthcoming.   
> I feel that Philip Earis may have had a point  when, at a Central 
Council 
> meeting, he proposed that the redundant bells  committee be 
disbanded, as, 
> surely, this is a case where those entrusted by our  guilds and 
associations to make 
> decisions regarding what should be preserved and  where it should 
go etc, 
> should have been able to act.  If it is the case that this 
committee  doesn’t 
> have funding to rescue such rings, then it is a “toothless 
tiger”, with  no real 
> point to it.   The  Keltek Trust has successfully rescued and re-
homed many 
> bells, both single and  complete rings, over the years, however, 
it is not a 
> bottomless pit of money,  and having recently acquired a large 
number of more 
> modern bells, have not been  in a position to rescue these.  
> A glance at the Central Council accounts,  published annually in 
the Ringing 
> World, will show that it is not exactly  strapped for cash.  The 
obvious  
> thing, to me at least, would be to transfer some of this money to 
an account  
> administered by the redundant bells committee so that when such a 
situation  
> arises, as has done here, this committee is in a position to act, 
and act  quickly 
> if necessary.  As it stands  now, however, the ringing exercise 
has been let 
> down.   
> Will lessons be learned from this?  Don’t know, but don’t hold 
your  breath! 
> Martin B Hough,  
> Lambourn,  Berks.
>