THE enthronement took place of Rev Alan Harper as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland on Friday, in St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh. The archbishop, whose diocese takes in Dungannon, Cookstown and other areas of Tyrone, is 104th in the succession of abbots, bishops and archbishops of Armagh since the time of St Patrick.

The Service was attended by a large number of senior members of the Church of Ireland including members of the House of Bishops, the Deans and Chapters of St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh and St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, St Saviour, Connor in Lisburn Cathedral and the Dean and some members of St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast. There was also a large number of public representatives from the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. Senior church representatives of other Christian denominations were present joining with representatives of the Anglican Communion and the Anglican Churches in Britain.

In accordance with tradition, at the beginning of the Service, the archbishop struck the cathedral door three times with his crozier and was admitted by the Dean of Armagh, Rev Patrick Rooke, to be welcomed by the congregation.

The 63-year-old archbishop was born in Staffordshire and attended university in Leeds and later Dublin. He and his wife Helen have four children.

He was elected Bishop of Connor by Electoral College on December 17, 2001 and elected Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland on January 9 this year by the house of bishops.

The archbishop is a passionate archaeologist and historian and is a member of the historic monuments council for Northern Ireland. He was awarded an OBE for his services to conservation in Northern Ireland in 1996.