Fratelli Ruffatti of Padua, Italy, has finished a three-manual, 55-rank organ for the chapel of St. Patrick College Seminary, Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. The chapel was built between 1875 and 1891 and is undergoing an extensive restoration. The organ has mechanical key action and electric stop and coupler action with recording/playback, MIDI, and other functions. The instrument has been prepared with a second, moveable console, to be located in the nave. The organ was blessed on December 8, 2013. The dedicatory recital series began on April 27 with a concert by Olivier Latry; additional recitals featured James O’Donnell (May 4), John O’Keeffe (5/11), and Gerard Gillen (5/18).
Also in Ireland, Ruffatti has been commissioned to build a new three-manual organ for St. Mel Cathedral, Longford. The neo-Classical stone structure, built between 1840 and 1856 as the cathedral of the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, suffered a catastrophic fire on Christmas morning, December 25, 2009. The interior of the building was a total loss. The rebuilt cathedral is expected to reopen for Christmas of 2014.
For information: www.ruffatti.com.
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