Had a most enjoyable evening with the Brethren of Glandore Masonic Lodge No 551 at their Centenary meeting held in the Leighton Room, Arthur Square, followed by an excellent roast beef dinner in the Main Dining Room, provided by Jonny Gray and his attentive staff. Our Guest of Honour on this momentous occasion was our Most Wor Grand Master Most Wor Brother Rodney L. McCurley accompanied by his Assistant Director of Ceremonies in Grand lodge Very Wor Bro Philip Thompson and a number of past and present Officers from the Provincial Grand Lodges of Antrim and Down, including Rt Wor Bro John Edens Immediate Past Deputy Grand Master of Antrim. It is interesting to note that the Brethren of Glandore held their Installation meeting and dinner in the hall on Thursday the 25th January, so our meeting last night was clearly focused on celebrating their one hundred years of service to the Irish Craft.
The influence of their first Worshipful Master Right Wor Bro the Rev Samuel Cochrane B.A., RN ( Hon), Rector of Sinclair Seamans Presbyterian Church, located down in Corporation Square will give us all some idea of how Glandore Lodge got its name, from the Irish Cuan Dor – which translates as Harbour of the Oak Trees. Rt Wor Bro Cochrane was a Ballymoney Man who rose to senior levels in all branches of Irish Freemasonry. He gathered a good band of some 23 Brethren who joined with him as founders in Glandore Lodge and he was also a Foundation member of The Irish Lodge of Research, at its foundation in 1914.
Our meeting in the Leighton room was quite brief, but sufficient for Bro George Lee, Lodge Secretary to record attendances, details on all our distinguished guests and allow our Most Wor Grand Master to sign off the earlier Installation meeting Minutes and convey his congratulations, on behalf of The Grand Lodge of Ireland to Glandore on giving some 100 years of Service to Irish Freemasonry and The Grand Lodge of Ireland.
Then we adjourned up to the third floor main Dining Room, for an excellent three course dinner including vegetable broth, roast beef and fresh fruit Pavlova. I was given the opportunity to spend a few moments and brief all present on the origins and early history of Irish Freemasonry with details of The Baals Bridge Square, The Bog Oak Medallion from Dromore, The Lady Freemason, The Trinity Tripos, The First recorded meeting of The Grand Lodge in 1725 and a fuller explanation on the works of John Pennell, our Grand Secretary back in 1730 who laid out the framework of Irish Freemasonry, still in use to the present day. It was Pennell who first began the issue of Warrants to Irish Lodges back in 1731, and this idea was taken up by the Antients ( Lawrence Dermott ) in the 1759’, and then by the Moderns in the late 1760’s. Today every Constituted Grand Lodge around the globe issue their own Warrants, following the sterling work conducted by Pennell all those years ago.
I was then followed by Wor Bro Roy Mayne, who spoke at length on the history of Glandore Lodge No 551 from 1924 right up to 2024. Roy spend quite some time researching this work from Grand Lodge records, Lodge Minute Books and other records and came up with an excellent idea in the presentation of their history in book form, based on a minimum page per year from their records. He then had the excellent idea of highlighting a particular general history item on every year to make it easier to place their yearly story in the proper context. I am very grateful to Bro Roy for presenting me with a copy of his new book, that I look forward to reading in the days ahead.
Brethren, I am sure that you will all join with me in giving your congratulations to the Glandore WM – Wor Bro James Walsh, Officers, and Brethren of the Lodge in reaching their 100th Anniversary and wish them all continued success in the years ahead.
Robert Bashford