The Frobenius organ at the Church of the Assumption is unique in its scale and history, it being the gift of the members of the Lutheran National Cathedral parish of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirk) in Copenhagen when the instrument itself was less than thirty years old.
The organ was built by one of the world's leading organ-building firms, Th. Frobenius of Lyngby (Copenhagen), in 1965 for the great cathedral church of Denmark's capital city. Number 630 in the manufacturer's catalogue, it is a sizeable mechanical-action instrument, consisting of 53 speaking stops (the largest number ever installed in a Frobenius organ), three manuals and pedals, and 3,916 pipes. By 1993 the cathedral felt it needed a much bigger organ to fill its great space with adequate sound, and so it was decided to dispose of the existing organ in favour of an entirely new instrument. Instead of selling the existing organ for the considerable sum it would have fetched, the cathedral board generously decided to donate it to an appropriate church.
At the time Gerard Gillen had been asked to investigate the possibility of obtaining an organ for the Tullamore church, and during a recital visit to Copenhagen to play one of the last recitals on the 'old' cathedral organ he mentioned his quest to the cathedral's organist, Niels Henrik Nielsen. Thus began a remarkable series of developments and coincidences which resulted in the organ's transference to Tullamore in the latter months of 1994.
The organ obvisly needed a new case to fit the gallery dimensions of Tullamore's fine new parish church. This was designed and built by the Frobenius firm. In the transfer the action, pipework, keyboards, interior leather-work and wind supply were renewed; the original 32' pedal stop was retained by the cathedral in Copenhagen for incorporation into their new instrument, and so a replica 32' stop was made for Tullamore. These elements apart, the organ represents a uniquely intact transplant of an unusually large all-mechanical action organ. The condition of both pipework and action can only be described as well-nigh perfect, and the voicing and regulation necessary to adjust to the new acoustic conditions of the Church of the Assumption in Tullamore were carried out by a team of three superb craftsmen from the Frobenius firm. The net result was that Tullamore could now boast of having the largest mechanical action church organ in Ireland, and the sole example in the country of the Frobenius firm's renowned skill and craftmanship. The organ was inaugurated in a gala concert on 10 May 1995.
Here is a video, made by Brian McIvor, telling the story of the organ's journey from Copenhagen to Tullamore:
Organ Specification
Pedal
Bourdon 32
Principal 16
Subbass 16
Quint 10 2/3
Oktav 8
Gedakt 8
Oktav 4
Koppelflojte 4
Nachthorn 2
Cornet V
Mixtur VII
Basun 16
Fagot 16
Trompet 8
Zink 4
Swell (I)
Rorflojte 16
Rorflojte 8
Fugara 8
Vox Celestis 8
Principal 4
Gedaktflojte 4
Rornasat 2 2/3
Blockflojte 2
Terts 1 3/5
Sifflojte 1
Mixture IV
Trompet 8
Obo 8
Tremulant
Great (II)
Gedakt 16
Principal 8
Gedakt 8
Spidsgamba 8
Hulflojte 4
Quint 2
Oktav 2
Waldflojte 2
Cornet V 8
Mixtur VI
Scharf IV
Dulzian 16
Brustpositiv (III)
Gedakt 8
Quintaton 8
Rorflojte 4
Principal 2
Quint 1 1/3
Sesquialtera II
Cymbel II
Ranket 16
Vox Humana 8
Tremulant
Couplers
S/G, BP/G, G/P, S/P, BP/P