This is the story of Shinrone:
a village, its people, and its history.
“With curiosity and through meaningful conversation, we will respectfully discover and collate the unique stories and values of Shinrone with the end goal of developing a picture of the village that is true to its character, celebratory of its history, representative of its present and beneficial to its future.”
Finding Shinrone is a snapshot of a village, its people and its history. This project was produced by srudents of the Cultural Event Management postgraduate course at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology Dún Laoghaire in collaboration with the people of Shinrone and with the help of Bellefield House and Joe Cleary.
The Fabric of a Weaver's Childhood
The Musical Legacy of Shinrone
The Spirit of Shinrone Camogie
Now And Then
Please be Seated: A Couple's First Meeting
St Mary's Church, 52.98392747, -7.93075829
In conversation with: Cyril Stanley & Hazel Greene
A tradition of assigned seating in St. Mary’s Church of Ireland, Shinrone began a love story for two of the now most involved members of the congregation.
A common practice in the Church of Ireland, assigning pews to families in the congregation did more than outline a seating plan - it instilled a sense of belonging and place. Often, a way to publicly thank them for their generosity in supporting the maintenance of the church through donations, some churches chose to display name plaques on each row of seating. Others, like in Shinrone, opt to display a detailed number chart on the church’s walls for all to see. Updates were neatly jotted down in pencil, as newcomers to the church were added.
Hazel was one such addition. Although technically not a newcomer - her father, and his father before him were born in Shinrone -she moved home from England as a teenager. Taking their seat behind Cyril’s family, as the newcomer to the area, Hazel caught Cyril’s attention with her soft English accent. They have fond memories of spending each Sunday catching glimpses of one another. Little did they know that they would end up together. Life happened in the meantime and took them their separate ways. Years later, Hazel returned to Shinrone to the man who she sat behind all those years ago. ‘I moved one pew in life’ she laughs, thinking of how she moved up one row, now joining the Stanley family seating at every service.
Both loyal members of the church, they have served as members of the Select Vestry. Cyril was the rector’s churchwarden for a time, while Hazel continues to use her platform as an artist to help to fundraise for its upkeep. The couple were heavily involved with the book ‘200 Years: St Mary’s Church of Ireland Shinrone’, created to commemorate the church's two centuries of history, with Hazel collating its contents - seating plan included - for publishing.
Now married and living in Birr, the couple have never forgotten the importance of the church to them, helping, as active members, to build on its legacy of friendship and community in the town of Shinrone.
