Athnuachan Project Update from Winter 2025: Welcome to the second edition of the St. Nicholas’ Project Newsletter
Following the official naming of our Athnuachan project in Edition No.1 of this quarterly newsletter, the Project Team continues its weekly commitment to ensure the forward momentum of the project. In the last few months, we have achieved a number of important milestones, which include the conclusion of Stage 1 of the Design Development with a quantity surveyor currently working on the initial project cost plan.
With this development, the Select Vestry are now in a position to appoint a group charged with the recruitment and management of a fundraising team. The fundraising team has always been envisaged as separate and distinct from the role of the Project Team, having its own distinct agenda. The Project Team have identified two critical events which will be instrumental in launching the fundraising initiative. The first of these (the pre-launch) is essential to ensuring the second (the formal launch) achieves its objectives. Both require careful consideration and planning. It is hoped we will host this pre-launch event in December, 2025.
The purpose of the pre-launch is:
To build on the enthusiasm and support for the project vision in the broader
community
To establish the core group who will take the opportunity to drive forward the formal launch. This will include taking management and oversight responsibility for the appointment and operations of the fundraising team.
The Very Rev. Lynda Peilow on behalf of the Project Team
The New Organ
As you will have read elsewhere, the Project Team and Select Vestry have been much occupied in recent months researching the necessary structures required for entering into major
contractual relationships within the Athnuachan project, and ensuring that the necessary fundraising resources are in place. As a result of this, the commissioning of our new organ from Flentrop Orgelbouw will now be delayed. This is disappointing for all concerned, but the new organ remains a central and urgent priority within the whole project. Every effort is being made currently to establish a timeline for the creation of the necessary legal structures and fundraising plan, in order to set a new date for the signing of the organ contract. By the time of the official project launch in the spring, we aim to have the fundraising plan in place.
A Temporary Instrument
In the meantime, temporary organ provision needs to be made, to ensure that the choral foundation is maintained and the liturgy in St. Nicholas continues to be enhanced with highquality
music. As everyone knows and has been long predicted, the current organ is beyond repair and failing fast. Our professional consultant William McVicker prepared three options for us – an electronic substitute, a small redundant pipe organ from elsewhere, and a major although provisional repair job on the current organ to enable it to continue for another five or more years. The latter was ruled out on grounds of exorbitant cost. The first option was considered undesirable in terms of quality of sound and musical satisfaction, given the calibre of the music and choral foundation in St. Nicholas, and the standard of national and international organists and choirs that are attracted to perform here. The second option has been chosen: a small instrument that can provide limited but adequate musical support and satisfaction for a price not much more than the electronic option. A suitable instrument has been identified, and it is hoped to begin negotiations this month for its purchase, repair and installation in St Nicholas.
This little organ is freestanding, measuring approximately two and a half metres square and four metres high. It will stand (initially at least) in the south transept, near the crossing and
choir stalls. It has decorated pipes at the front and panelling to the sides and rear. The intention is to sell it on, once the new organ arrives. Consisting of eleven stops, it is a fraction of the size of both the current organ and its planned replacement, and in no way can be considered the instrument that St Nicholas’ deserves and needs, but it will enable our worship to continue in the interim as the Athnuachan project takes shape and the new organ is commissioned and built.
The Conservation work on the South Transept
Work to the South Transept is continuing under the sponsorship of Galway City Council’s Community Monument Fund. The work is once again being carried out by specialist stone conservators Mathieu & Mitchell under the expert supervision of Conservation Architect Fergal McNamara and these works will achieve the following: Protection of the existing building and archaeological heritage with hard cement mortars and coatings that endangered the medieval masonry removed. Coating the internal surface of the walls with limewash, reinstating the original wall
treatment evident on the window margins and leaving the carved stone features uncoated, enhancing the architectural splendour of the south transept.Interior limewash, and a future final lime plaster will allow the walls to dry out more efficiently and assist in the conservation of the stone carvings. Suitable mortars for future phases of repair have been determined and will set a standard of work to be followed.
Heating Updates
We have secured a contractor qualified to complete the chimney works in a medieval building. Our stonemasons, working under the supervision of a Grade 1 listed architect and an
archaeologist, have created an access hole in the medieval wall at ground level which will allow him to fit a new stainless steel flue liner into the chimney. This work has to be completed from roof level, connecting it to the boiler exhaust port in the basement boiler room. Pressure tested and guaranteed, this will allow us to safely vent the exhaust gases from the boiler to the sky. The earliest he can carry out this repair is early January 2026.
In the interim, we have procured a larger diesel heater. To date, due to security requirements, we could not hire a larger unit as it would need to be stored in the front of the building and access difficulties prohibited placing it to the rear of the church. With the recent improvement of motorised vehicle gates, the church grounds can now be secured at night. This allows us to safely hire and store a larger 227KW heater, which will provide heat through the North door beside the WWI memorial. At just under three times the capacity of the present heater, it will provide a marked increase in the temperature and comfort levels for parishioners, staff and visitors, and is due to be delivered the week ending 23rd November 2025.
Project Highlights over the past 3 Months:
Workshop with Suzanne Reid (CEO at Christ Church) on the experience of incorporation
Completion of Stage 1 Design from The Design Team
Quantity Surveyor working on preliminary cost estimate for the Project based on Stage 1 outputs
Options Appraisal on a temporary organ replacement in light of the imminent failure of the beloved ‘Gertie’
Work in South Transept
Ongoing investigation work into the damaged chimney which required the input of specialists including a Grade 1 listed architect, an archaeologist, a stonemason, and specialised camera equipment and operators.
The safe installation of the two meter finial at the top of the copper steeple
Project Highlights over the next 3 Months:
Pre-launch of fundraising for the project- setting the steps in motion for the formal Launch in spring 2026
Planning Permission for new organ
Contractor appointed to begin remedial works on chimney in January.
The St. Nicholas Project Team are currently working with a number of other parties who are critical to the advancement of the project:
Christ Church Cathedral
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Fergal McNamara- Architect
The Project Team- working under the authority of the Select Vestry
Fin Garvey (Chair)
The Very Reverend Lynda Peilow (Rector)
Mark Duley (Director of Music and Organist)
John Kennedy (Church Manager)
Roxanne Duncan
Sinéad Armstrong Anthony
Mary Liddy