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In the century since the Chapel Royal's unceremonious disbandment, its choral foundation has been forgotten. The building is today preserved as an object of historical interest to visitors to Dublin Castle, and only the choir stalls and the ornate (but empty) organ case remain as evidence of the Chapel's musical history. My first visit to the Chapel some years ago sparked my interest in this history, but my efforts to find out more produced a disappointing answer: the Chapel Royal's choir had been merely an ad hoc assemblage of singers from the Dublin cathedrals who did double duty in order to make some extra money.
In early 2014 I happened to mention my interest in the Chapel to my friend Dr Michael Lee, who told me that he had in fact recently prepared a short entry on music in the Chapel for the Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland, and that he was convinced that there was a rich history to be told, if someone were willing to do the research. When I began in earnest to undertake this research myself, I discovered that another friend, the Rev’d Canon Roy Byrne, was researching the Chapel's altar plate, and we began to compare notes. Quite serendipitously, Michael made contact with Úna Ní Chanainn, who was involved in organizing concerts and events in the Chapel, to ask if there were plans to commemorate the bicentenary of the Chapel's opening in 1814. Úna put us in touch with Mary Heffernan, General Manager of Dublin Castle, and with Mary's support, Michael, Úna, Dr Stuart Kinsella and I organized two concerts of music from the Chapel's archives, the first of which was broadcast on RTÉ Lyric FM.
Mary Heffernan also introduced Michael, Roy and me to Dr Myles Campbell and William Derham, Office of Public Works curators at Dublin Castle, who were then beginning to prepare a book on the architectural history of the Chapel to commemorate the Chapel's bicentenary. The chapter on music and liturgy I contributed to that volume formed the basis of the more extensive research presented in this study. I hope that this book will complement the wide-ranging essays in Myles's and William's beautifully presented architectural history.
This institutional history of the Chapel Royal's choral foundation draws on a large amount of previously unexplored primary material.
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