St Ann's Church, Shandon
- St Ann's Church, Shandon (C of I) 1722-1726, on the North side of the City attracts many visitors for its famous bells, celebrated in Father Francis Mahony's [alias Father "Prout" (1804 – 1866)] sonorous lines which were first published in Frazer's magazine in 1834:
"With deep affection and recollection
I oft times think of those Shandon Bells
Whose sound so wild would in the days of childhood
Fling round my cradle their magic spells
On this I ponder when ee're I wander and thus grow fonder sweet Cork of thee
With thy bells of Shandon that sound so grand on,
the pleasant waters of the River Lee.
I've heard bells chiming, full many a chime in,
tolling sublime in Cathedral shrine,
While at a glib rate, brass tongues would vibrate,
but all their music spoke naught like thine;
For memory dwelling on each proud swelling,
Of the belfry knelling its bold notes free,
Made the bells of Shandon sound far more grand on,
The pleasant warters of the River Lee.
I've heard bells tolling old "Adrian's Mole" in
their thunder rolling from the Vatican
And cymbals glorious, swinging uproarious
In the gorgeous turrets of Notre Dame,
But thy sounds were sweeter than the dome of Peter
Flings o'er the Tiber, peelingly solemnly,
O, the bells of Shandon sound far more grand on,
the pleasant waters of the River Lee.
There's a bell in Moscow, while on tower and kiosk o!
In Saint Sophia the Turkman gets,
And loud in air calls men to prayer,
From the tapering summit of tall minarets.
Such empty phantom, I freely grant them,
But there is an anthem more dear to me,
Tis the bells of Shandon that sound so grand on,
the pleasant waters of the River Lee".
The singular 120ft high tower, with its graduated turret of three storeys, faced with limestone on two sides and with red sandstone on the other two sides, contain a peel of eight bells – a whole octave.
The bells still bear the original inscription on them: -
1 – "When us you ring we'll sweetly sing"
2 – "God preserve the Church and King"
3 – "Health and prosperity to all our benefactors"
4 – "Peace and good neighbourhood"
5 – "Prosperity to the City and trade thereof"
6 – "We were all cast at Gloucester in England, Abel Rudhall, 1750"
7 – "Since generosity has opened our mouths our tongues shall sing aloud its praise"
8 – "I to the Church the living call and to the grave do summon all"
The bells were installed in 1752.The visitor can ring these famous "Shandon Bells."
Father Prout's grave is near the tower.
Also within the main tower is the clock known to Corkonians as the "four faced liar". The dials are 14 feet in diameter. The inscription on the clock reads:
"Passenger, measure your time, for time is the measure of your being".
This was a gift in 1847 from the Lord Mayor, Andrew Francis Roche and Cork Corporation. The Corporation (now Cork City Council) maintains this clock.
Skiddy's almshouse, founded in 1584, stands in the churchyard. About 1620, the Vintners Company of London settled a perpetual annunity on this building of £24 for the benefit of twelve widows of Cork
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