Lodge 281 Holds Its April Stated Communication at the Headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Ireland
On Saturday, 25th April 2026, the Worshipful Master, Wardens, Officers, and Brethren of St John’s Masonic Lodge No. 281 St Johnston, Co. Donegal, made a journey that had not been undertaken in living memory. Together with their Wives and Partners, they travelled south to Freemasons’ Hall, Molesworth Street, Dublin, to hold their April Stated Communication in the Grand Lodge Room at the Headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Ireland. It was a day that will be long remembered by all who were present.
This occasion marked the very first visit by the Lodge as a body to Freemasons’ Hall. For a Lodge with deep roots in the community of St Johnston and a proud history within the Province of Londonderry and Donegal, holding a Stated Communication in the Grand Lodge Room is no small thing. It is a reminder of the wider fraternity to which every Brother belongs, and of the ancient Institution that underpins the work carried out in Lodges across Ireland, week after week and year after year.
The journey south began with a most welcome stop at Newry Masonic Hall, where the Brethren and their Wives and Partners were received with great warmth by local members of the Craft. It was a genuinely fraternal occasion, a reminder of the fellowship that Freemasonry so naturally produces when Brethren from different Lodges come together. Newry’s Hall, like so many across Ireland, carries its own distinctive history and character, and the visit offered the Brethren of Lodge 281 a fine opportunity to see something of the wider Lodge network beyond their own Province. Following a Full Irish Breakfast, the party were on the road again in good spirits.
At Freemasons’ Hall, the Brethren took their places in the Grand Lodge Room and proceeded to hold a traditional Stated Communication of St John’s Lodge No. 281 in one of the most distinguished settings Irish Freemasonry has to offer. No special ceremony or distinguished visitor was required to make the occasion memorable. What gave it its significance was simply the fact of being there: the Worshipful Master, Wardens, Officers, and Brethren of Lodge 281, joined by a number of well-known Brethren from other Donegal Lodges, all seated together in the seat of Irish Freemasonry, conducting the work of the Craft as it has been conducted in that building since 1869.
To sit in the Grand Lodge Room at Molesworth Street is to sit in a place that carries the weight of Irish Masonic history in every stone. For Brethren who had never attended before, it was a moving and lasting experience.
A particular and sincere word of thanks is owed to Very Worshipful Brother Barry S. Fawcett, Grand Tyler and guide at Freemasons’ Hall, whose welcome and service throughout the visit were quite exceptional. V. Wors. Bro. Fawcett went out of his way to ensure that the Brethren and their Wives and Partners felt at home in this distinguished building. His knowledge, warmth, and hospitality left a lasting impression on all who were present, and Lodge 281 records its sincere gratitude to him for contributing so greatly to the success of the day.
The party stayed overnight at the City North Hotel, which provided a most comfortable setting for the Brethren and their Wives and Partners to relax and enjoy one another’s company after a full and memorable day. Good food and easy conversation extended the spirit of the occasion well into the evening.
The return journey the following morning, after another Full Irish Breakfast, proved equally enjoyable. An unplanned stop at a local garden centre became one of the lighter and more fondly recalled moments of the trip, proof that the finest days rarely follow the schedule exactly as written. A final stop at the Mellon Country Inn for a late lunch was much enjoyed by all before the party made their way back to St Johnston Masonic Hall to collect their cars, say their farewells, and head for home.
Lodge 281 places on record its gratitude to all who helped make this historic visit possible, and to the Brethren of Newry who extended such a generous welcome on the outward journey. It is the sincere hope of the Lodge that this visit will mark not a singular occasion, but the beginning of a more regular connection with the Headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Ireland in the years ahead.
