GRAND LODGE
of
ANTIENT, FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS OF
IRELAND

INSTALLATION COMMUNICATION ‑ FRIDAY 28th NOVEMBER, 2014
at
FREEMASONS’ HALL, DUBLIN

There were also present:‑ the Provincial Grand Masters of Antrim, Armagh, North Connaught, South Connaught, Down, Londonderry & Donegal, Meath, Midland Counties, North Munster, South Eastern, Wicklow & Wexford, New Zealand, Southern Cape, Natal, India and Sri Lanka; the Grand Inspector for Gibraltar; R.W.Bro.s. William T. Shortland, R. Arthur Keppel, Alan Campbell, J. Kenneth Dunne, Charles W. Olden, Robert G. Quigley, R. Wilson Mark and Harvey F.J. Heavener, Past Provincial Grand Masters; R.W.Bro.. Joseph Chiara, Past Grand Inspector for Gibraltar; the Provincial Deputy Grand Masters of Antrim, Armagh, North Connaught, South Connaught, Down, Londonderry & Donegal, Meath, the Midland Counties, North Munster, Tyrone & Fermanagh, Wicklow & Wexford, New Zealand, the Far East and Sri Lanka; the Assistant Grand Inspector for Gibraltar; R.W.Bro.s. Cyril R. Foster, Edward C.W. Smith, John Hadden and J. Keith Roberts, Past Provincial Deputy Grand Masters; R.W.Bro. John Harmse, Provincial Assistant Grand Master, S.A.N.; R.W.Bro.. Stanley J. Ferguson, Provincial Assistant Grand Master, Natal; R.W.Bro.. Charles R. Knipe, Past Senior Grand Warden; R.W.Bro. Michael W. Walker, Past Grand Secretary; R.W.Bro. Allen Megarry, Past Grand Director of Ceremonies; R.W.Bro. Samuel Poyntz, Past Senior Grand Chaplain; R.W.Bro. Rev. Charles McCurdy, Past Junior Grand Chaplain; V.W.Bros. Basil Elliott and T. Robert McDowell, Past Grand Deacons; V.W.Bro Anthony J. Darlison, Hon. Past Grand Deacon; V.W.Bro Ralph B. McGuckin, Past Grand Superintendent of Works; V.W.Bro. Gerard Laguea, Hon. Past Grand Superintendent of Works; VW.Bros. James C. Stanley, Arthur W. White, William J. Johnston and Lionel C. Clark, Past Grand Stewards of Charities; V.W.Bro Bernard V.A. Woods, Past Grand Almoner; V.W.Bros. S. Gordon Leathern, William J. Dixon, Brian Keaton, David Penpraze, Robin E.W. Newenham, John J. Ramsay and Kwesi O‑P Ackah, Past Grand Master's Standard Bearers; V.W.Bro. Eric Sanchez and Arthur L. Wink, Hon. Past Grand Lodge Standard Bearer; and R.W.Bros. Hugh Hamilton and Thomas F. Redpath, Past Foreign Grand Representatives.

SISTER CONSTITUTIONS REPRESENTED
The following Grand Lodges were represented:‑ Scotland, Alberta, Canada in Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec, New South Wales, Western Australia, Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Alaska, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Mexico York, Argentina, Chile, Sao Paolo, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Japan and the Prince Hall Grand Lodges of Caribbean & Jurisdiction, Colorado, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Texas.

APOLOGIES FOR NON‑ATTENDANCE
Apologies for non‑attendance were received from: M.W.Bro George Dunlop, Immediate Past Grand Master; M.W.Bro Darwin H. Templeton, Past Grand Master; R.W.Bro. Richard Ensor, Grand Treasurer; R.W.Bro. Selwoode Graham, Senior Grand Chaplain; the Provincial Grand Masters of Munster, Tyrone & Fermanagh, South Africa Northern, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Bermuda, the Far East, Jamaica and South East Asia; R.W.Bro. Philip AT Daley, Chairman of the Metropolitan Board; R.W.Bro. Michael P. Gwynn, Past Provincial Grand Master, Natal; R.W.Bro. Selwyn S. Davies, Past Senior Grand Warden; R.W.Bro. W. Warren Porter, Past Junior Grand Chaplain; V.W.Bro Victor Whyte, Past Grand Almoner; the Grand Inspector of Botswana; the Representatives of the Grand Lodges of New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, Israel and G. Ken Hughes, Past Foreign Grand Representative.

VISITING GRAND LODGE DELEGATIONS
All Brethren, except those in the Assistant Grand Master's procession, being previously seated, the procession entered Grand Lodge and subsequently Visiting Delegations from the Grand Lodge of Ghana, the National Grand Lodge of Romania, the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria, the Grand Lodge of Serbia, the Grand Lodge of Estonia, the National Grand Lodge of Greece, the Regular Grand Lodge of Italy, the Symbolic Grand Lodge of Hungary, the Grand Lodge of Spain, the Grand Lodge of Turkey, the British Freemasons in Germany, the United Grand Lodges of Germany, the Grand Lodge of Finland, the Grande Loge Nationale Francaise, the Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland, the Grand Lodge of Sweden, the Grand East of the Netherlands, the Grand Lodge of Denmark, the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the United Grand Lodge of England, were presented and received individually.

WELCOME BY THE ASSISTANT GRAND MASTER
Following the opening of Grand Lodge, the Assistant Grand Master welcomed all present and then made reference to each of the Visiting Delegations, in reverse order of seniority. The Representatives of our visiting Sister Grand Lodges were as follows:‑ the Grand Lodge of Ghana, M.W.Bro Nana Otwasuom Nyampong VI, Grand Master; the National Grand Lodge of Romania, M.W.Bro Radu Balanescu, Grand Master & R.W.Bro. Florin Birlea, Deputy Grand Master; the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria, M.W.Bro Ivan Sariev, Grand Master; the Grand Lodge of Serbia, M.W.Bro Ranko Vujacic, Grand Master; the Grand Lodge of Estonia, M.W.Bro Anti Oidsalu, Grand Master & R.W. Bro Peter Roose, Grand Director of Ceremonies; the National Grand Lodge of Greece, M.W.Bro Dimitrios Kontesis, Past Grand Master; the Regular Grand Lodge of Italy, VW.Bro Roberto Bursese, Chairman of the Council of General Purposes; the Symbolic Grand Lodge of Hungary, R.W.Bro. Tamas Korosvolgyi, Deputy Grand Master; the Grand Lodge of Spain, M.W.Bro Oscar de Alfonso Ortega, Grand Master; the Grand Lodge of Turkey, M.W.Bro Omar Koker, Grand Master & M.W.Bro Remzi Sanver, Past Grand Master; the British Freemasons in Germany, M.W.Bro Alan Wainright, Grand Master & R.W.Bro. Bill Bearsmore, Deputy Grand Master; the United Grand Lodge of Germany, R.W.Bro. Christoph Bosbach, Deputy Grand Master; the Grand Lodge of Finland, M.W.Bro Juhani Vuori, Grand Master & R.W.Bro. Ahti Siltanen, Grand Secretary; the Grande Loge Nationale Francaise, M.W.Bro Jean‑Pierre Servel, Grand Master & R.W.Bro. Jean‑Pierre Rollet, Assistant Grand Master; the Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland, M.W.Bro Jean‑Michel Mascherpa, Past Grand Master; the Grand Lodge of Sweden, R.W.Bro. Ingmar Borjesson, Grand Chancellor; the Grand East of the Netherlands, M.W.Bro Willem Meijer, Grand Master; the Grand Lodge of Denmark, M.W.Bro Walter Schwartz, Grand Master, R.W.Bro. Jens Lassen, Grand Chancellor & R.W.Bro. Christian Hoey‑Petersen, Grand Director of Ceremonies; the Grand Lodge of Scotland, Bro Charles Ian Wolrige Gordon of Esslemont, M.W. Grand Master Mason & Bro. David M. Begg, R.W. Grand Secretary; the United Grand Lodge of England, M.W.Bro. Peter G. Lowndes, M.W. Pro Grand Master & Bro. Derek R. Dinsmore, R.W. Grand Chancellor.

GREETINGS FROM DELEGATIONS
The Pro Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, M.W.Bro. Peter G. Lowndes, thanked the Assistant Grand Master and Brethren for their welcome and conveyed greetings on behalf of all the Delegations present.

INSTALLATION OF THE GRAND MASTER
The Grand Secretary read the Convening Notice, announcing that an Especial Communication of the Grand Lodge would be held at Freemasons' Hall, Dublin on Friday the 28th day of November, 2014, at the hour of two thirty o'clock p.m. precisely, to install R.W.Bro. Douglas Thomas Grey as M.W. Grand Master; and announced that R.W.Bro. Grey was without, awaiting the pleasure of Grand Lodge. The Assistant Grand Master vacated the Chair for the Installing Officer, R.W.Bro. Michael J. Ward, Past Senior Grand Warden ‑ who directed the Grand Director of Ceremonies to form a procession and retire in order to introduce the Grand Master Elect.
The procession consisted of the Grand Director of Ceremonies, the Grand Deacons, the Grand Master's Standard Bearer, the Senior Grand Chaplain bearing the Volume of the Sacred Law, the Grand Secretary bearing the Laws & Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the Grand Sword Bearer, the Grand Master's sponsors, W.Bro. Michael P. Troughton‑Smith, Past Master of Leinster Lodge No. 141, Dublin; W.Bro. Trevor R. Boate, Past Master of Leinster Lodge No. 141, Dublin and V.W.Bro. David T. Young, Grand Superintendent of Works, who acted as Chain Bearer.
On the re‑entry of the procession, the Grand Master Elect was perambulated three times and was obligated, invested, installed, proclaimed and saluted as M.W. Grand Master.

The Grand Master then made a short address to Grand Lodge.

CONGRATULATIONS OFFERED
All the Visiting delegations offered congratulations and best wishes to the new Grand Master, and many presented gifts to him.

INSTALLATION OF THE DEPUTY GRAND MASTER
The Grand Master called on the Grand Director of Ceremonies to form a procession and present the Deputy Grand Master Designate for Installation. The procession consisted of the Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies, the Grand Deacons, the Grand Chaplain bearing the Volume of the Sacred Law, the Grand Secretary bearing the Laws and Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the Grand Sword Bearer, the Deputy Grand Master's sponsors, VW.Bro Kenneth Abernethy, Past Grand Deacon; V.W.Bro. S. Gordon Leathern, Past Grand Master's Standard Bearer and R.W.Bro. Kenneth Vance, Past Master of Festival of Zion Lodge No. 597, Belfast, who acted as Chain Bearer.
The Deputy Grand Master Designate, R.W.Bro. Rodney L. McCurley, was conducted to the foot of the throne for presentation and was thereafter obligated, invested, installed, proclaimed and saluted.

INSTALLATION OF THE ASSISTANT GRAND MASTER
The Grand Master then called on the Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies to form a procession and present the Assistant Grand Master Designate, whose procession, led by the Director of Ceremonies, was the same as for the Deputy Grand Master, and whose sponsors were V.W.Bro Derrick W.M. Nixon, Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies of Tyrone & Fermanagh; W.Bro. Ronald G. Abbott, Past Master of Ecclesville Lodge No. 202, Fintona and Bro. Bryan L. Nixon of Victoria Lodge No. 473, Enniskillen, who acted as Chain Bearer.
The Assistant Grand Master Designate, R.W.Bro. Leslie J. Nixon, was obligated, invested, installed, proclaimed and saluted.

The Deputy Grand Master and the Assistant Grand Master made short acknowledgement speeches and were applauded.

WELCOME TO OVERSEAS BRETHREN
The Grand Master welcomed our overseas Brethren in attendance, particularly those from Hong Kong, South Africa and Gibraltar.

GRAND LODGE CLOSED
There being no further business, Grand Lodge closed and the Grand Master, along with his Deputy and Assistant, the Visiting Delegations from Sister Grand Lodges, accompanied by the Officers of Grand Lodge and the Provincial Grand Masters, retired in procession.

CELEBRATORY BANQUET
Later that evening some 330 Brethren, their ladies and friends, attended a Celebratory Banquet in the Round Room of the Mansion House.