A new automatic system will ring in a new era for the bells of St. Macartin’s Cathedral, Enniskillen.

Until now, the ten bells of St. Macartin’s have been reliant on a small team of bellringers who diligently ring out the bells for worship on a Sunday.

It is hoped from this week, the bells will be automated, meaning that while they can still be rung manually by the bell-ringing team, they can also be set to ring automatically for different celebrations.

Enniskillen Cathedral is one of less than a dozen churches in Northern Ireland with a peal of eight bells or more.

Following a discussion with John Taylor and Company, the decision was made to install an electrically-operated chiming system and clock dial drive motor by the Select Vestry.

This will be welcomed by many within Enniskillen, as some will note that the Cathedral clock tower has been set to 11.50 for quite some time.

Sam Morrow, Hon. Secretary of the Select Vestry, said: “The bells can be rung automatically according to whatever programme is chosen on the master control panel.

“The main memory system can store up to 125 different tunes/melodies. The time clock can be set to strike the hours and quarters with a programmable night silence function.

"The new system for the clock has an atomic-regulated aerial which should ensure that the clock keeps perfect time, and will change from winter to summertime automatically.”

Bells play an important part in the life of a church. Their primary purpose is to summon people to worship.

They have also been rung over the years to indicate deaths, funerals, important events, weddings and other celebrations.

They can also be used to welcome important visitors to the town, such as when the bells of St. Macartin’s welcomed Queen Elizabeth II to Enniskillen in 2012.

There has been a bell in the church tower from the time the church was first built, and some have historical significance.

Mr. Morrow, who is also the author of ‘St Macartin’s Cathedral: At the Heart of the Community’, which covers 400 years of the Cathedral’s history, explained the significance of each bell.

He said: “In 1716, two bells were cast from cannons taken at the Battle of the Boyne. These were given to the Enniskilleners by King William for their service to the King.

“Not surprisingly, these bells were given the names, ‘William’ and ‘Mary’.

“These bells were recast in 1828 into one large bell, which bears the inscription: ‘This bell was given by Government AD 1716 and recast at the expense of the Parish of Enniskillen. The large bell on which the hours are struck was Presented by William Willoughby, Earl of Enniskillen to his friends, the Innskilling men, 1841.’

“Other bells were given by the Earl of Enniskillen, the Earl of Belmore, and Misses Hall of Inishmore Hall.

“In 1935, Mrs. A. F. Maude, Belgard Castle, County Dublin, presented a bell in memory of her husband, the late Captain A. F. Maude – a grandson of a former rector of Enniskillen.

“Mr. John S. Dane of Kildare Terrace, London, also presented a bell in 1935 in memory of the late Mr. James Whiteside Dane, who took a prominent part in advancing the parish church to the status of a cathedral.”