Church services carry on despite series of black-outs (1936)

They said that at Castledillon, near Armagh, a piece of wood was thrown up at the wires and caused a short circuit that had occurred on Sunday, March 1, 1936.

The failure at Dungannon lasted for 35 minutes, from 6.30pm until 7.05pm. During the black-out a Church Missionary Society service in Dungannon Parish Church was carried on in darkness, no lamps or candles being brought into user.

The News Letter reported: “The church organ was electrically-driven so was put out of action.

“By one of those coincidences which seem inevitably to accompany a black-out, the processional hymn was to have been ‘Light of them that sit in darkness’. It was not sung, however.

“Canon McEndoo, the rector, announced that the singing of the hymns and Psalms would be dispensed with.

“Prayers were said, and then the Reverend A T L Forde, MA, northern secretary of the CMS, delivered a sermon.

“It was strange experience for both preacher and congregation, who were invisible to each other, but Mr Forde’s sermon lost nothing in effect, he had just concluded his address when the light was restored.”

In St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church prayers were recited until the light came on again, while the services in the Presbyterian and Methodist churches are illuminated by gas, “and no difficulty was caused”.

Electric lights in Portadown began to flicker about 5.30pm and from 6pm until 6.25pm “the light was on for only short periods”. At 6.25pm it went out and stayed out until about 6.50pm. At 7.30pm it again went out. A service was proceeding in St Mark’s Church at the time, “but before the conclusion the current was restored”.

The current at Armagh began to go off and on for short intervals, beginning 6.15pm. At 6.30pm the lights went out and stayed out until 6.35pm when the current was restored.