REMEMBERING DAVID LAWRENCE: SHINING A LIGHT ON STAINED GLASS TREASURES

Dr David Lawrence painstakingly photographed and documented thousands of stained glass windows across Ireland to complete a remarkable database to be preserved for future generations.

His labour of love began in 1991 and did not conclude until 2017, by which time every Church of Ireland window throughout the island had been carefully catalogued.

The survey revealed previously unrecorded examples of exceptional 19th century work by Irish, English and German artists, and the stunning website gloine.ie – the name taken from the Irish for glass – now allows users to view those windows by location, artist, date or iconography.

Michael Burrows, Bishop of Tuam, Limerick & Killaloe, said David was a man of many talents and news of his sudden death brought sadness to many in the Church.

“He was scholar, an aesthete, a skilled photographer who for over a quarter of a century from 1991 was a visitor literally to every Church of Ireland church on this island where stained glass was to be found.

“He came among us already possessed of a mine of information concerning stained glass artists and manufacturers, along with a deep knowledge of their styles of work and iconographic aims.”

Bishop Burrows said he crossed paths with David on many occasions, most notably during his years as Dean of Cork when he was working on the extraordinary glass of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.

“On June mornings he would rise to be in the cathedral at a very early hour, catching the rising summer sun as it bathed the glass with what he always called God’s light. He taught me that the same window never looks the same on any two days of the year.

“David was a true and courteous gentleman, a gracious host over a good meal in a restaurant by the Lee, a person of profound spirituality who himself always worked to advance the glory of God.

“He could be finicky as well as fun, indignant as well as indulgent and at times he could be as delicate as the glass he loved to study. But he opened the eyes of many to the beauty that is all around them, and shone wondrous light among some of the greatest yet least known treasures of the Church of Ireland.

“The muse of history will be eternally grateful to him: a myriad of friends and admirers will never behold the like of him in our midst again.”

** The Irish News publishes a selection of readers’ obituaries each Saturday. Families or friends are invited to send in accounts of anyone they feel has made a contribution to their community or simply led an interesting or notable life. Call Aeneas Bonner on 028 9040 8360 or email [email protected].

2024-04-20T05:06:34Z dg43tfdfdgfd