PSI had the advantage of having worked in the space once before, in 2008 for another live RTE broadcast. This time the lighting production was a lot bigger and more comprehensive, and required more precision rigging utilising the Cathedral's original wooden beams.
Either side of the nave where the majority of the congregation sit, is a row of six pillars, and the other side of these, an aisle with a narrower set of pews running the full length of the building, right down to the altar, and it was these aisles that had to be used to accommodate the lighting trusses. Lighting positions were needed to fire through each of the seven arches between the pillars.
The trusses had to stretch a total of 25m in length each side. PSI's Sean Pagel led the rigging operation and installed two trusses per side, each butted up to make the continuous 25m span. Each of these four trusses was suspended on three manual chain blocks, a method chosen to maximize the height of the space and get the metalwork to within half a metre of the ceiling, which was 7.5m at the apex of the aisle.
This gave ideal lighting positions for the 20 Robe ColorWash 700E ATs which were rigged on the trusses, together with 22 ARRI 2K fresnels, 18 PARs and eight Source Four zooms and PARs.
The big challenge was dealing with the final arch nearest the altar, which offered up no fixing point in the roof for a chain black. Instead Pagel and his team resorted to a bit of 'creative' scaffolding.
Between that last arch, circling behind the altar on the floor were 14 strategically positioned PixelPARs, together with four Blondes on boom arms, which were focused on the back of the altar.
The rest of the fixtures were stationed outside the building, shining in through the stained glass windows. Exterior lighting comprised three 4K HMIs on wind up stands and four Blondes on boom bases, all rigged around the back of the church and behind the altar.
The exterior lighting was fired up for the night Masses, and worked in conjunction with a single 5K fresnel positioned within the first arch each side inside. This combination replaced the natural light that comes in through the windows for the day ceremonies.
Gallagher programmed and controlled all the installed lighting from his CompuLite Vector Green console.
(Jim Evans)
