Tommy takes final bell as church switches on
TOMMY Allen, who has been ringing the bell in St Peter and St Paul's Church, Kilmallock for the past 19 years, has officially rung out the last peal from the belfry – and has been replaced by an electronic device.
His unique technique is to be replaced by the flick of a switch in the church's sacristy.
"I will be sad to see it go," revealed campanologist Tommy who, in his 19-year career, only twice missed ringing the three-tonne bell.
Each day just before noon, Tommy made the two-minute walk from his home in Ashill to climb the dark spiral stairwell at the back of the 19th century church where he would religiously chime the bells for the Angelus. The sound of the bell tolls could be heard from far away and many people set their clocks and watches by Tommy's punctuality.
Some days, if there was a funeral in the town, his journey to the belfry would be made twice, giving him all the more opportunity to perfect his technique.
"When you start ringing the bell, it does take getting used to because the bell is heavy," explained the now retired father of seven.
"You have to time it that you don't pull hard and there are different tones for different occasions. The sequence for the Angelus is three, three, three and pause followed by nine straight rings. Then, for a funeral it is usually slower for a man than for woman but I have always kept it the same," he said.
Tommy was handed over the responsibility of campanologist following the retirement of Christy Costello and his family, who were preceded by Willie Hannon who was parish clerk and campanologist of Kilmallock church for 61 years.
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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