View source for Church of Ireland

{{Short description|Anglican church in Ireland}}
{{Use Irish English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox Christian denomination
| icon               = Church of Ireland teal web logo.svg
| icon_width         = 80px
| icon_alt           = Celtic cross with no circle, teal
| name               = Church of Ireland
| native_name        = {{native name|ga|Eaglais na hÉireann}}<br />{{native name|sco-ulster|Kirk o Airlann}}
| native_name_lang   = 
| image              = Armagh Cathedral (Church of Ireland).jpg
| imagewidth         = 
| alt                = low-slung cathedral
| caption            = [[St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Church of Ireland)|St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh]], seat of the [[Primate of All Ireland]]
| abbreviation       = 
| type               = 
| main_classification = [[Protestantism|Protestant]]
| orientation        = [[Anglicanism|Anglican]]
| scripture          = [[Protestant Bible]]
| theology           = [[Anglican doctrine]]{{efn|With various theological and doctrinal identities, including [[Anglo-Catholic]], [[Liberal Christianity|Liberal]] and [[Evangelical Anglicanism|Evangelicals]].}}
| polity             = [[Episcopal polity|Episcopal]]
| governance         = 
| structure          = 
| leader_title       = [[Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)|Primate]]
| leader_name        = [[John McDowell (bishop)|John McDowell]]
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| leader_title2      = 
| leader_name2       = 
| leader_title3      = 
| leader_name3       = 
| fellowships_type   = 
| fellowships        = 
| fellowships_type1  = 
| fellowships1       = 
| division_type      = 
| division           = 
| division_type1     = 
| division1          = 
| division_type2     = 
| division2          = 
| division_type3     = 
| division3          = 
| associations       = {{ubl | [[Anglican Communion]] | [[Conference of European Churches]] | [[Churches Together in Britain and Ireland]] | [[Irish Council of Churches]] | [[Porvoo Communion]]}}
| area               = [[Ireland]]
| language           = [[English language|English]], [[Irish language|Irish]]
| headquarters       = Church of Ireland House <br /> Church Avenue <br />  Rathmines<br /> Dublin D06 CF67<br /> Ireland
| origin_link        = 
| founder            = 
| founded_place      = 
| independence       = 1871 (disestablishment)
| separated_from     = [[Catholic Church in Ireland|Roman Catholic Church]] in 1536
| parent             = 
| branched_from      = Theologically: [[Church of England]]
| merger             = 
| absorbed           = 
| separations        = 
| merged_into        = 
| defunct            = 
| congregations_type = 
| congregations      = 1100 places of worship <br /> 450 parishes<ref>{{cite web |title=Church of Ireland |url=https://www.irishchurches.org/members/church-of-ireland |website=Irish Council of Churches |access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref>
| members            = <!-- or |number_of_followers = -->343,400<ref>{{cite web |title = The Church of Ireland – About Us |url = https://www.ireland.anglican.org/about/about-us |website = ireland.anglican.org |publisher = The Church of Ireland |access-date = 11 August 2023}}</ref>
| ministers_type     = 
| ministers          = 
| missionaries       = 
| churches           = 
| hospitals          = 
| nursing_homes      = 
| aid                = 
| primary_schools    = 
| secondary_schools  = 
| tax_status         = 
| tertiary           = 
| other_names        = 
| publications       = 
| website            = [http://www.ireland.anglican.org/ ireland.anglican.org]
| slogan             = 
| logo               = 
| footnotes          = 
}}
{{Anglicanism}}

The '''Church of Ireland''' ({{langx|ga|Eaglais na hÉireann}}, {{IPA|ga|ˈaɡlˠəʃ n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ|pron}}; {{langx|sco|label=[[Ulster Scots dialects|Ulster-Scots]]|Kirk o Airlann}}, {{IPA|sco|kɪrk ə ˈerlən(d)|}})<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130225223255/http://www.nisra.gov.uk/archive/census/UlsterScots.pdf 2001 Northern Irish census leaflet, Ulster-Scots] NI Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 25 September 2012.</ref> is a [[Christian church]] in [[Ireland]], and an [[autonomy|autonomous]] member church of the [[Anglican Communion]]. It is organised on an [[all-Ireland]] basis and is the [[Christianity in Ireland|second-largest]] Christian church on the island after the [[Catholic Church in Ireland|Roman Catholic Church]]. Like other [[Anglican]] churches, it has retained elements of pre-Reformation practice, notably its [[episcopal polity]], while rejecting the [[papal primacy|primacy of the pope]].

In theological and liturgical matters, it incorporates many principles of the [[Reformation]], particularly those of the [[English Reformation]], but self-identifies as being both [[Protestantism|Reformed]] and [[Catholicity|Catholic]], in that it sees itself as the inheritor of a continuous tradition going back to the founding of [[Celtic Christianity|Christianity in Ireland]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ireland.anglican.org/about/ |title="About Us", Church of Ireland website |access-date=1 May 2012 |archive-date=24 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424160608/http://ireland.anglican.org/about/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As with other members of the global Anglican Communion, individual parishes accommodate differing approaches to the level of ritual and formality, variously referred to as [[High church|High]] and [[Low Church]].<ref>[http://stgeorges.connor.anglican.org/about-the-church-of-ireland/ Church of Ireland] {{webarchive |url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150402113815/http://stgeorges.connor.anglican.org/about-the-church-of-ireland/ |date = 2 April 2015 }}</ref>

As of 2013, the Church of Ireland ranked "second in the State in terms of the provision of [[primary schools]] with 174 schools under its Patronage." There were "over 500 teachers and over 13,500 pupils in Church of Ireland Primary schools." There were at the time "twenty post-primary schools in the State which are either affiliated with the Church of Ireland at diocesan level or" are self-identified as Church of Ireland.<ref name="ia1">{{cite news |url=https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Information/Submissions/brd_ed/AdmSchBill2013.pdf}}</ref>

== Overview ==
The Church of Ireland sees itself as that 'part of the Irish Church which was influenced by the [[Reformation]], and has its origins in the early [[Celtic Christianity|Celtic Church of St Patrick]]'.{{sfn|Church of Ireland}}{{incomplete short citation|date=August 2021}} This makes it both [[Catholicity|catholic]], as the inheritor of a continuous tradition of faith and practice, and [[protestant]], since it rejects the authority of [[Rome]] and accepts changes in doctrine and liturgy caused by the Reformation.{{sfn|Church of Ireland}}

Following the [[Synod of Ráth Breasail]] (also known as Rathbreasail) in 1111,<ref>Diarmuid Ó Murchadha,''Placename Material from Foras Feasa Ar Éirinn''; ÉIGSE (2005) p. 93: http://www.nui.ie/eigse/pdf/vol35/eigse35.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603150520/http://www.nui.ie/eigse/pdf/vol35/eigse35.pdf |date=3 June 2021 }}</ref> Irish Catholicism transitioned from a [[Monasticism|monastic]] to a [[diocese|diocesan]] and [[parish]]-based mode of organisation and [[Ecclesiastical polity|governance]]. Many Irish present-day dioceses trace their boundaries to decisions made at the synod. The work of organizing the Church was completed by the [[Synod of Kells]] which took place in 1152, under the presidency of [[Giovanni Paparoni|Giovanni Cardinal Paparoni]]. Diocesan reform continued and the number of [[archbishop]]rics was increased from two to four. The synod granted the [[Primacy of Ireland]] to the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh|Archdiocese of Armagh]].

Some modern scholarship argues that early Irish Christianity was functionally separate from Rome but shared much of its liturgy and practice, and that this allowed both the Church of Ireland and Irish Catholicism to claim descent from [[Saint Patrick]].<ref>Thomas O'Loughlin, Journeys on the edges: the Celtic tradition,(London, 2000), Caitlin Corning, The Celtic and Roman traditions: conflict and consensus in the early medieval church (Basingstoke, 2006), Alan Ford, 'Shaping history: James Ussher and the Church of Ireland', The Church of Ireland and its past: history, interpretation and identity, ed. Mark Empey, Alan Ford and Miriam Moffitt (Dublin, 2017).</ref>{{page number needed|date=January 2021}} It is also said that the Catholic Church in Ireland was jurisdictionally independent until 1155, when [[Pope Adrian IV]] purported to declare it a papal fief and granted [[Henry II of England]] the [[Lordship of Ireland]] in return for paying [[tithes]]; his right to do so has been disputed ever since.{{sfn|Sheehy|1961|pp=45–48}}

In 1534, the English Parliament passed the [[Act of Supremacy]], which broke communion with the papacy and recognised [[Henry VIII]] as head of the Church of England; two years later, the Irish Parliament followed suit by acknowledging him as head of the Irish church. Although many bishops and most of the clergy refused to conform, the Church of Ireland was left with diocesan buildings and lands, since under the feudal system bishops held that property as [[vassal]]s of the Crown.{{sfn|Church of Ireland}}{{incomplete short citation|date=August 2021}} Despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the new church, a large majority of the Irish remained loyal to the [[Catholic Church]] centred in Rome, while in [[Ulster]] the church was outnumbered by [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterians]]. However, it remained the [[State religion|established church]] of the whole of Ireland until the [[First Gladstone ministry]]'s [[Irish Church Act 1869]] ([[32 & 33 Vict.]] c. 42) disestablished it, with effect from 1 January 1871.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1869/42/enacted|title=Irish Church Act 1869 (as enacted)|date=26 July 1869|work=[[UK Statute Law Database]]|access-date=1 June 2022}}</ref>

The modern Church of Ireland is the second largest religious organisation in the [[Republic of Ireland]], and the third largest in [[Northern Ireland]], after the Roman Catholic and Presbyterian churches.{{sfn|O'Mahony |2010}}{{failed verification|date=June 2021}}

==History==
{{See also|History of Christianity in Ireland}}

===Formation===
{{Main|Reformation in Ireland}}
[[Image:Adrian IV, servus servorum dei (cropped).png|thumb|left|upright=0.8|[[Pope Adrian IV]], who claimed Ireland for the Papacy in 1155]]

[[Christianity]] in [[Ireland]] is generally dated to the mid to late 5th century [[Christian Era|AD]], when the Romano-British cleric [[Saint Patrick]] began his conversion mission, although the exact dates are disputed.{{sfn|Flechner|2019|pp=34-35}} Prior to the 12th century, the Irish church was independent{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} of [[Pope|Papal]] control, and governed by powerful [[Monastery|monasteries]], rather than [[bishops]]. While the [[Kingdom of Dublin]] looked to the English [[Diocese of Canterbury]] for guidance, in 1005 AD [[Brian Ború]] made a large donation to the Monastery of Armagh and recognised its [[Archbishop of Armagh|Archbishop]] as [[Primate of all Ireland]] in an attempt to secure his position as [[High King of Ireland|High King]] of Ireland.{{sfn|Llywelyn|2020|p=97}}

Inspired by [[Saint Malachy|Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair]], reformist head of [[Bangor Abbey]], the 1111 [[Synod of Ráth Breasail]] sought to reduce the power of the monasteries by creating [[Diocese]]s headed by bishops, as was common outside Ireland. Under the 1152 [[Synod of Kells]], the Irish church received its own archbishops, rather than being subject to Canterbury.{{sfn|Young|2020|pp=18–19}} Under the [[Laudabiliter]] in 1155, English-born [[Pope Adrian IV]] granted [[Henry II of England]] the [[Lordship of Ireland]] in return for paying [[tithes]] to Rome. His claim was based on the 4th-century [[Donation of Constantine]], which allegedly gave the Papacy religious control over all Christian territories in the western [[Roman Empire]]. Its legality was disputed at the time, since Ireland had never been part of the empire, while the Donation itself was later exposed as a forgery.{{sfn|Sheehy|1961|pp=45–70}}

Since Ireland was now considered a [[Ecclesiastical fief|papal fief]], its bishops were appointed by [[Rome]] but generally adopted English [[liturgy]] and saints, such as [[Edward the Confessor]], and [[Thomas Becket]].{{sfn|Young|2020|p=19}} In 1536, the [[Parliament of Ireland|Irish Parliament]] followed their English colleagues by accepting [[Henry VIII of England]] as head of the church, rather than the Pope. This marks the founding of the reformed Church of Ireland, confirmed when Henry became [[Kingdom of Ireland|King of Ireland]] in 1541. Largely restricted to [[Dublin]], led by [[George Browne (archbishop of Dublin)|Archbishop George Browne]], it expanded under [[Edward VI]], until Catholicism was restored by his sister [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] in 1553.{{sfn|Walshe |1989|p=358}}

[[File:BecketHenryII.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|[[Henry II of England|Henry II]] with [[Thomas Becket]]; the 1155 intervention was the start of efforts to Anglicise the Irish church]]

When [[Elizabeth I of England]] became queen in 1558, only five bishops accepted her [[Elizabethan Religious Settlement|Religious Settlement]], and most of the Irish clergy had to be deposed.{{sfn|Walshe |1989|p=60}} This was hampered by the church's relative poverty, while adapting to the changes of regime damaged the reputation of those who remained. [[Hugh Curwen]] was [[Dean of Hereford]] until 1555, when Mary made him [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin|Catholic Archbishop of Dublin]], before returning to the reformed church in 1558. Despite accusations of 'moral delinquency', he remained Archbishop and [[Lord Chancellor of Ireland|Lord Chancellor]] until 1567, when he was appointed [[Bishop of Oxford]].{{sfn|Murray|2009|pp=242–245}}

The absence of Gaelic-speaking ministers led to the adoption of a gradualist policy, similar to that used in Catholic areas of Northern England.{{sfn|Muldoon|2000|pp=248–250}} '[[Occasional conformity]]' allowed the use of pre-Reformation rites, combined with acceptance of the established Church; this practice persisted in both England and Ireland well into the mid-18th century.{{sfn|Flaningam|1977|pp=39–41}}

Lack of [[Irish language|Irish Gaelic]] literature was another restriction; shortly before his death in 1585, [[Nicholas Walsh (bishop)|Nicholas Walsh]] began translation of the [[New Testament]]. Continued by John Kearny and [[Nehemiah Donnellan]], it was finally printed in 1602 by [[William Daniel (archbishop)|William Daniel]], who also translated the [[Book of Common Prayer]], or BCP, in 1606. An Irish version of the Old Testament was published in 1685 by [[Narcissus Marsh]], but the revised BCP was not available until 1712.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Book of Common Prayer of the Church of Ireland (1666) |url=http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/Ireland/BCP_Ireland1666.htm |website=Justus.anglican.org |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-date=29 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329183346/http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/Ireland/BCP_Ireland1666.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===17th century===
[[File:James Ussher by Sir Peter Lely.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|[[James Ussher]], Archbishop of Armagh]]
{{Main|Nonjuring schism}}
At the beginning of the 17th century, most native Irish were Catholic, with Protestant settlers in [[Plantation of Ulster|Ulster]] establishing an independent Presbyterian church. Largely confined to an English-speaking minority in [[The Pale]], the most important figure of the Church's development was Dublin-born theologian and historian, [[James Ussher]], Archbishop of Armagh from 1625 to 1656. In 1615, the Church of Ireland drew up its own [[Irish Articles of Religion|confession of faith]], similar to the English version, but more detailed, less ambiguous and often explicitly Calvinist.{{sfn|Wallace|1949 |pp=1–15}} When the [[Thirty-Nine Articles]] were formally adopted by the Irish church in 1634, Ussher ensured they were in addition to the Irish Articles; however, they were soon superseded by the Thirty Nine Articles, which remain in use to the present day.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/creeds1.ix.vi.x.html |title=Creeds of Christendom, with a History and Critical notes. Volume I. The History of Creeds. {{!}} Christian Classics Ethereal Library<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=14 September 2006 |archive-date=22 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060922231925/http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/creeds1.ix.vi.x.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Under [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], the Church of Ireland claimed to be the original and universal church, while the Papacy was an innovation, thus vesting it with the supremacy of [[Apostolic succession]].{{sfn|Richardson|2000|p=55}} This argument was supported by Ussher, and Charles' former personal chaplain, [[John Leslie (bishop of Raphoe)|John Leslie]], a key supporter of Caroline reforms in Scotland, appointed bishop of [[Diocese of Derry and Raphoe|Derry & Raphoe]] in 1633.{{sfn|Diamond|2009}} During the 1641–1653 [[Irish Confederate Wars]], nearly two-thirds of Ireland was controlled by the largely Catholic [[Confederate Ireland|Confederacy]], and in 1644, [[Giovanni Battista Rinuccini]] became [[Papal Nuncio]] to Ireland. Irish Catholicism had developed greater tolerance for Protestants, while sharing their hostility to elaborate ritual. Rinuccini's insistence on following Roman liturgy, and attempts to re-introduce ceremonies such as [[Maundy (foot washing)|foot washing]] divided the Confederacy, and contributed to its rapid collapse in the 1649–1652 [[Cromwellian conquest of Ireland|Cromwell's re-conquest of Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Yates |first=Nigel |title=Catholic Reformation in Ireland: The Mission of Rinuccini 1645–1649 |url=https://www.historyireland.com/early-modern-history-1500-1700/catholic-reformation-in-ireland-the-mission-of-rinuccini-1645-1649/ |website=History Ireland |access-date=12 September 2018 |date=24 February 2013 |archive-date=12 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912210142/https://www.historyireland.com/early-modern-history-1500-1700/catholic-reformation-in-ireland-the-mission-of-rinuccini-1645-1649/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:AcquittalSevenBishops.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|The [[Seven Bishops]] acquitted, June 1688; a key factor in the removal of [[James II of England|James]], five later became [[Nonjuring schism|Non-Jurors]]]]

The church was re-established after the 1660 [[Restoration (Ireland)|Restoration of Charles II]] and in January 1661, meetings by 'Papists, Presbyterians, Independents or separatists' were made illegal.{{sfn|Harris|2006|p=88}} In practice, the penal laws were loosely enforced and after 1666, Protestant [[Dissenter]]s and Catholics were allowed to resume their seats in the [[Parliament of Ireland]]. In 1685, the Catholic [[James II of England|James II]] became king with considerable backing in all three kingdoms; this changed when his policies seemed to go beyond tolerance for Catholicism and into an attack on the established church. His prosecution of the [[Seven Bishops]] in England for seditious libel in June 1688 destroyed his support base, while many felt James lost his right to govern by ignoring his [[Coronation Oath Act 1688|coronation Oath]] to maintain the primacy of the Protestant religion.{{sfn|Harris|2007|pp=179–181}}

This made oaths a high-profile issue, since ministers of the [[State religion|national]] churches of England, Scotland and Ireland were required to swear allegiance to the ruling monarch. When the 1688 [[Glorious Revolution]] replaced James with his Protestant daughter and son-in-law, [[Mary II of England|Mary II]] and [[William III of England|William III]], a minority felt bound by their previous oath and refused to swear another. This led to the [[Nonjuring schism|Non-Juring schism]], although for the vast majority, this was a matter of personal conscience, rather than political support for James.{{sfn|Overton|2018|p=14}}

The Irish church was less affected by this controversy, although the [[William Sheridan (Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh)|Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh]] became a Non-Juror, as did a handful of the clergy, including [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] propagandist [[Charles Leslie (nonjuror)|Charles Leslie]].{{sfn|Higgins|2014|p=78}} The [[Protestant Ascendancy]] in Ireland is traditionally viewed as beginning in 1691 when the [[Treaty of Limerick]] ended the [[Williamite War in Ireland|1689–1691 Williamite War]]. The Church re-established control and the 1697 [[Banishment Act]] expelled Catholic bishops and [[regular clergy]] from Ireland, leaving only the so-called [[secular clergy]].{{sfn|Simms|1970|pp=185–186}}

===18th century===
[[File:John Smibert - Bishop George Berkeley - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Irish philosopher and Church of Ireland bishop [[George Berkeley]]]]
In 1704, the [[Test Act]] was extended to Ireland; this effectively restricted public office to members of the Church of Ireland and officially remained in place until the 1829 [[Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829|Catholic Relief Act]]. However, the practice of occasional conformity continued, while many Catholic gentry by-passed these restrictions by educating their sons as Protestants, their daughters as Catholics; [[Edmund Burke]], who was raised Church of Ireland but whose parents simultaneously raised his sister Juliana Catholic, is one example.{{sfn|O'Brian|2015|p=10}}

It is estimated fewer than 15 – 20% of the Irish population were nominally members of the church, which remained a minority under pressure from both Catholics and Protestant Nonconformists. The [[Toleration Act 1719|1719 Toleration Act]] allowed Nonconformists freedom of worship, while the Irish Parliament paid their ministers a small subsidy known as the 'regium donum.'{{sfn|James|1979|p=433}}

Although willing to permit a degree of flexibility, like their English counterparts, Irish bishops viewed their status as the national church to be non-negotiable and used their seats in the [[Irish House of Lords]] to enforce this. However, in 1725 Parliament passed the first in a series of 'temporary' Indemnity Acts, which allowed office holders to 'postpone' taking the oaths; the bishops were willing to approve these, since they could be repealed at any point.{{sfn|James|1979|p=444}}

In the 17th century, religious and political beliefs were often assumed to be the same; thus Catholics were considered political subversives, simply because of their religion. During the 18th century, sectarian divisions were replaced by a growing sense of Irish autonomy; in 1749, [[George Berkeley|Bishop Berkeley]] issued an address to the Catholic clergy, urging them to work together with the church in the (Irish) national interest.{{sfn|James|1979|p=451}} After 1750, the government increasingly viewed Catholic emancipation as a way to reduce the power of Protestant nationalists like the [[Society of United Irishmen|United Irishmen]]; this had potential implications for the church since the requirement non-church members pay tithes was deeply resented.{{sfn|Barlett|1993|p=2}} The movement ended after the [[Irish Rebellion of 1798|1798 Rebellion]] and Ireland's incorporation with Britain.

===19th to 20th centuries===
[[File:Armagh Cathedral (Church of Ireland).jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|[[St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Church of Ireland)|St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh]]]]

Following the legal union of Ireland and the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]] by the [[Act of Union 1800]], the Church of Ireland was also united with the Church of England to form the '''United Church of England and Ireland'''. At the same time, one archbishop and three bishops from Ireland (selected by rotation) were given seats in the [[House of Lords]] at Westminster, joining the two archbishops and twenty-four bishops from the Church of England.

The Irish Church was over-staffed, with 22 bishops, including 4 archbishops, for an official membership of 852,000, less than that of the [[Diocese of Durham|Church of England's Diocese of Durham]]. The [[Church Temporalities (Ireland) Act 1833]] ([[3 & 4 Will. 4]]. c. 37) reduced these to 12, as well as making financial changes. Part of a series of reforms by the [[Whig government, 1830–1834|1830–1834 Whig government]] that included the [[Reform Act 1832]], it caused deep political splits. The implications of government legislating church governance was a contributory factor in the [[Oxford Movement]] and had wide repercussions for the Anglican Communion.{{sfn|Condon|1964|pp=120–142}}

Another source of resentment was the funding of the Church by [[tithes]] imposed on all Irish subjects, even though the majority were not members. This led to anomalies like the incumbent of a living near Bessborough, who in 1833 was receiving £1,000 per year, despite the fact the parish had no Protestants or even a church.{{sfn|Pearce|2005|p=119}} The "[[Tithe War]]" of 1831–36 led to their replacement by the ''tithe rent charge'' but they did not entirely disappear until the [[Irish Church Act 1869]].

The Act ended the Church's status as a state organisation; its bishops were removed from the House of Lords and its property transferred to the government. Compensation was paid but in the immediate aftermath, parishes faced great difficulty in local financing after the loss of rent-generating lands and buildings.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.crossdenominationalmission.org.uk/churchinireland.html |title=Cross Denominational Mission "The Irish Church Disestablishment Act 1869 came into effect in 1871 and the Church of Ireland ceased to be the state church. This terminated both state support and parliamentary authority over its governance, and took into public ownership much church property. Compensation was provided to clergy, but many parishes faced great difficulty after the loss of rent-generating land, property and buildings." |access-date=25 January 2013 |archive-date=10 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210234451/http://www.crossdenominationalmission.org.uk/churchinireland.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Governance==
The head of the Church of Ireland is, ''ex officio'', the [[Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)|Archbishop of Armagh]]. In 1870, immediately prior to its disestablishment, the Church provided for its internal government, led by a General Synod, and with financial and administrative support by a Representative Church Body. Like other Irish churches, the Church of Ireland did not divide when Ireland was [[Partition of Ireland|partitioned]] in the 1920s and it continues to be governed on an all-Ireland basis.

===Structure===
[[File:Dioceses of the Church of Ireland.png|thumb|left|upright=1.0|alt=Dioceses of the Church of Ireland|Map of the dioceses of the Church of Ireland <br /><span style="color:#AC7136;">▉</span><span style="color:#A0958A;">▉</span><span style="color:#60584F;">▉</span> Province of Armagh<br />
<span style="color:#516D3E;">▉</span><span style="color:#408B7E;">▉</span><span style="color:#7A9933;">▉</span> Province of Dublin]]

{{See also|List of Anglican dioceses in the United Kingdom and Ireland}}
The polity of the Church of Ireland is [[episcopal church governance]], as in other Anglican churches. The church maintains the traditional structure dating to pre-Reformation times, a system of geographical [[Ecclesiastical parish|parishes]] organised into [[diocese]]s. There were more than 30 of these historically, grouped into four provinces; today, after consolidation over the centuries, there are [[List of Church of Ireland dioceses|eleven Church of Ireland dioceses or united dioceses]], each headed by a bishop and belonging to one of two surviving provinces. In 2022 the diocese of Tuam, Killala and Achonry was merged with Limerick and Killaloe when both of the bishops of the separate dioceses retired and a new bishop was appointed for the combined [[diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2019/24-may/news/uk/church-of-ireland-synod-merger-of-two-dioceses-approved |title=Church of Ireland Synod: Merger of two dioceses approved |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=28 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528215250/https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2019/24-may/news/uk/church-of-ireland-synod-merger-of-two-dioceses-approved |url-status=live }}</ref>

The leader of the [[Province of Dublin (Church of Ireland)|southern province]] is the [[Archbishop of Dublin (Church of Ireland)|Archbishop of Dublin]], at present [[Michael Jackson (bishop)|Michael Jackson]]; that of the [[Province of Armagh (Church of Ireland)|northern province]] is the [[Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)|Archbishop of Armagh]], at present [[John McDowell (bishop)|Francis John McDowell]]. These two archbishops are styled [[Primate of Ireland]] and [[Primate of All Ireland]] respectively, suggesting the ultimate seniority of the latter. Although he has relatively little absolute authority, the Archbishop of Armagh is respected as the church's general leader and spokesman, and is elected in a process different from those for all other bishops.

===General synod and policy-making===
Doctrine, canon law, church governance, church policy, and liturgical matters are decided by the church's [[general synod]]. The general synod comprises two houses, the House of Bishops and the House of Representatives. The House of Bishops includes the 10 diocesan bishops and two archbishops, forming one order. The House of Representatives is made up of two orders, clergy and [[laity]]. The order of clergy holds one third of the seats while the laity holds two-thirds of the seats.<ref>Dublin, Ireland,
 2003:  Constitution of the Church of Ireland, 1.1 The General Synod of the Church of Ireland shall consist of three distinct orders, namely, the bishops, the clergy, and the laity. / 1.2 The General Synod shall consist of two Houses, namely, the House of Bishops and the House of Representatives... / 1.3 The House of Bishops shall consist of all the archbishops and bishops of the Church of Ireland for the time being.{{rp|page=1.1}}</ref> As of 2017, there are 216 clergy members and 432 lay members in the House of Representatives.<ref>Dublin, Ireland, 2003:  Constitution of the Church of Ireland, 1.4(i) The House of Representatives shall consist of 216 representatives of the clergy and 432 representatives of the laity...{{rp|page=1.1}}</ref> The membership of the House of Representatives is made up of delegates from the dioceses, with seats allocated to each diocese's clergy and laity in specific numbers; these delegates are elected every three years.<ref>Dublin, Ireland, 2003:  Constitution of the Church of Ireland, 1.4–5{{rp|page=1.1}}</ref> The general synod meets annually, and special meetings can be called by the leading bishop or one third of any of its orders.<ref>Dublin, Ireland, 2003:  Constitution of the Church of Ireland, 1.14–15 There shall be an ordinary meeting of the General Synod in every year, at such time and place as shall from time to time be prescribed in that behalf by the General Synod....{{rp|page=1.3}}</ref>

Changes in policy must be passed by a simple majority of both the House of Bishops and the House of Representatives. Changes to doctrine, for example the decision to ordain women as priests, must be passed by a two-thirds majority of both Houses. The two sit together for general deliberations but separate for some discussions and voting. While the House of Representatives always votes publicly, often by orders, the House of Bishops has tended to vote in private, coming to a decision before matters reach the floor of the synod. This practice has been broken only once when, in 1999, the House of Bishops voted unanimously in public to endorse the efforts of the Archbishop of Armagh, the Diocese of Armagh and the Standing Committee of the General Synod in their attempts to resolve [[Drumcree conflict|the crisis at the Church of the Ascension at Drumcree]] near [[Portadown]].<ref>[http://www.ireland.anglican.org/archives/synods/synod99/synodnews/sectrepmot.html Sectarianism Report Motions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051122101631/http://ireland.anglican.org/archives/synods/synod99/synodnews/sectrepmot.html |date=22 November 2005 }}. Ireland.anglican.org. Retrieved 23 July 2013.</ref>

====Statutes and constitution====
The church's internal laws are formulated as bills proposed to the Houses of the general synod, which when passed become Statutes. The church's governing document, its constitution, is modified, consolidated and published by way of statute also, the most recent edition, the 13th, being published in 2003.

====Representative body====
The representative body of the Church of Ireland, often called the "Representative Church Body" (RCB), is the corporate trustee of the church, as established by law, and much of the church's property is vested in it. The members of the RCB are the bishops plus diocesan delegates and twelve co-opted members, and it meets at least four times a year. The staff of the representative body are analogous to clerical civil servants, and among other duties they oversee property, including church buildings, cemeteries and investments, administer some salaries and pensions, and manage the church library. While parishes, dioceses, and other parts of the church structure care for their particular properties, this is often subject to RCB rules.<ref>[https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Resources/ParishResources/SelectVestry/Church-of-Ireland-Overview-28-03-17.pdf Church of Ireland overview (Parish Handbook)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217035707/https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Resources/ParishResources/SelectVestry/Church-of-Ireland-Overview-28-03-17.pdf |date=17 December 2017 }}{{rp|page=4}}</ref>

[[File:Lady Chapel St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin 010.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Lady Chapel, [[St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin]]]]

===Orders of ministry and positions===
The Church of Ireland embraces three orders of ministry: deacons, priests (or presbyters) and bishops. These orders are distinct from positions such as [[Rector (ecclesiastical)#Anglican churches|rector]], [[Vicar (Anglicanism)|vicar]] or [[Canon (priest)|canon]].

===Diocesan governance===
Each diocese or united diocese is led by its Ordinary, one of the nine bishops and two archbishops, and the Ordinary may have one or more Archdeacons to support them, along with a Rural Dean for each group of parishes.  There is a diocesan synod for each diocese; there may be separate synods for historic dioceses now in unions. These synods comprise the bishop along with clergy and lay representatives from the parishes, and subject to the laws of the church, and the work of the general synod and its committees and the representative body and its committees, oversee the operation of the diocese. Each diocesan synod in turn appoints a diocesan council to which it can delegate powers.

===Parochial governance===
Each parish has a presiding member of the clergy, assisted by two churchwardens and often also two glebewardens, one of each type of warden being appointed by the clerical incumbent, and one by popular vote. All qualified adult members of the parish comprise the general vestry, which meets annually, within 20 days each side of Easter, as the Easter Vestry. There is also a select vestry for the parish, or sometimes for each active church in a parish, comprising the presiding cleric and any curate assistants, along with relevant churchwardens and glebewardens and a number of members elected at the Easter Vestry meeting.  The select vestry assists in the care and operation of the parish and one or more church buildings.

===Cathedral governance===
Special provisions apply to the management and operation of five key cathedrals, in Dublin (which contains two Church of Ireland cathedrals), Armagh, Down, and Belfast.

===Tribunals===
The church has disciplinary and appeals tribunals, and diocesan courts, and a court of the general synod.

==Present==
===Membership===
The Church of Ireland experienced a major decline in membership during the 20th century, both in Northern Ireland, where around 65% of its members live, and in the Republic of Ireland. The church is still the second-largest in the [[Republic of Ireland]], with 126,414 members in 2016 (minus 2% compared to the 2011 census results)<ref name="Census 2016 Results">[http://www.thejournal.ie/census-2016-statistics-3326599-Apr2017/ ''Census 2016 Results''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413201736/https://www.thejournal.ie/census-2016-statistics-3326599-Apr2017/ |date=13 April 2019 }}.</ref> and the third-largest in [[Northern Ireland]], with around 260,000 members.<ref name=2011ks>{{cite web |title = Census 2011: Key Statistics for Northern Ireland |url = http://www.nisra.gov.uk/Census/key_stats_bulletin_2011.pdf |website = nisra.gov.uk |access-date = 11 December 2012 |archive-date = 3 February 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170203000751/http://www.nisra.gov.uk/Census/key_stats_bulletin_2011.pdf |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="nisra.gov.uk">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nisra.gov.uk/Census/key_report_2011.pdf |title=2011 Census, Key Statistics for Northern Ireland, December 2012, p. 19. |access-date=12 February 2013 |archive-date=25 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225130545/http://www.nisra.gov.uk/Census/key_report_2011.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The most recently available figures published by the Church of Ireland, dating to 2013, found that average Sunday attendance across the church was 58,257, with 74 per cent of this attendance in the [[Province of Armagh (Church of Ireland)|Province of Armagh]]. Attendance varied strongly across dioceses; the most-attended diocese was Down and Dromore, with 12,731 in average Sunday attendance, while the least-attended was [[Diocese of Meath and Kildare|Meath and Kildare]] with 1,463.<ref name="CofI-Census-2013">{{cite journal |title=Bill No. 7 - Explanatory Memorandum |journal=Journal of the First Ordinary Session of the Fiftieth General Synod of the Church of Ireland |date=2018 |page=lv |url=https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Synod/2018/Journal2018.pdf |access-date=18 April 2022}}</ref> Similarly, in 2016, a peer-reviewed study published in the ''[[Journal of Anglican Studies]]'' by [[Cambridge University Press & Assessment|Cambridge University Press]] found that the Church of Ireland has approximately 384,176 total members and 58,000 active baptised members.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Muñoz|first=Daniel|date=2015-10-26|title=North to South: A Reappraisal of Anglican Communion Membership Figures|journal=[[Journal of Anglican Studies]]|volume=14|issue=1|pages=71–95|doi=10.1017/s1740355315000212|issn=1740-3553|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Cathedrals===
The Church of Ireland has two cathedrals in Dublin: within the line of the walls of the old city is [[Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin|Christ Church Cathedral]], the seat of the Archbishop of Dublin, and just outside the old walls is [[St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin|St Patrick's Cathedral]], which the church designated as the National Cathedral for Ireland in 1870. Cathedrals also exist in the other dioceses.

There is also the metropolitan cathedral church of Ireland, situated in Armagh, [[St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Church of Ireland)|St Patrick's Cathedral]]. This cathedral is the seat of the archbishop and metropolitan, [[John McDowell (bishop)|John McDowell]].

===Offices, training of priests and teachers===
The church's central offices are in [[Rathmines]], adjacent to the former [[Church of Ireland College of Education]], and the church's library is in Churchtown. Teacher training now occurs within the [[Dublin City University]] Institute of Education, overseen by the Church of Ireland Centre, based at the former [[All Hallows College]]. The church operates a seminary, the [[Church of Ireland Theological Institute]], in [[Rathgar]], in the south inner suburbs of Dublin. 

===Education of youth===
{{also|Denominational education in the Republic of Ireland}}

===Anglican Communion===
[[File:Saul church County Down sign.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.0|[[Saul, County Down|Saul]] church, a modern replica of an early church with a [[Irish round tower|round tower]], is built on the reputed spot of [[Saint Patrick|St Patrick's]] first church in Ireland.]]
The churches of the Anglican Communion are linked by affection and common loyalty. They are in full communion with the [[Episcopal see|See]] [[Archdiocese of Canterbury|of Canterbury]] and thus the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], in his person, is a unique focus of Anglican unity. He calls the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference, chairs the meeting of Primates, and is President of the Anglican Consultative Council.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.anglicancommunion.org/resources/acis/docs/unity.cfm |title=Anglican Communion Official Website. |access-date=22 June 2011 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629194420/http://www.anglicancommunion.org/resources/acis/docs/unity.cfm |url-status=live }}</ref> The contemporary Church of Ireland, despite having a number of [[High Church]] (often described as [[Anglo-Catholic]]) parishes, is generally on the [[Low Church]] end of the spectrum of world [[Anglicanism]]. Historically, it had little of the difference in churchmanship between parishes characteristic of other Anglican churches, although a number of markedly liberal, High Church or [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] parishes have developed in recent decades. It was the second province of the Anglican Communion after the [[Anglican Church of New Zealand]] (1857) to adopt, on its 1871 disestablishment, [[Synod|synodical government]]. It was also one of the first provinces to begin ordaining women to the priesthood (1991).

====Relation with the GAFCON movement====
[[Global Anglican Future Conference|GAFCON]] Ireland was launched on 21 April 2018, in [[Belfast]], with 320 attendees from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. International speakers included Archbishops [[Peter Jensen (bishop)|Peter Jensen]] (retired Archbishop of [[Anglican Diocese of Sydney|Sydney]]) and [[Gregory Venables]] (Primate of the [[Anglican Church of South America]]).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gafcon.org/news/bringing-the-true-gospel-of-jesus-christ-to-ireland |title=Bringing the true Gospel of Jesus Christ to Ireland, GAFCON official website, 26 April 2018 |access-date=18 August 2018 |archive-date=19 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819051423/https://www.gafcon.org/news/bringing-the-true-gospel-of-jesus-christ-to-ireland |url-status=live }}</ref> The Church of Ireland was represented at [[Global Anglican Future Conference|GAFCON III]], held on 17–22 June 2018 in [[Jerusalem]], by a six-member delegation which included two bishops; [[Ferran Glenfield]] of [[Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh|Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh]] and [[Harold Miller (bishop)|Harold Miller]] of [[Diocese of Down and Dromore|Down and Dromore]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://anglicanink.com/article/gafcon-iii-largest-pan-anglican-gathering-toronto-congress-1963 |title=GAFCON III largest pan-Anglican gathering since Toronto Congress of 1963, Anglican Ink, 20 June 2018 |work=Anglican Ink 2018 © |date=20 June 2018 |access-date=19 August 2018 |archive-date=19 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819051354/http://anglicanink.com/article/gafcon-iii-largest-pan-anglican-gathering-toronto-congress-1963 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.downanddromore.org/news/2018/06/Bishop-Harold-reflects-on-his-experience-of-the-recent-GAFCON-conference#.W3i2o-j7QdV |title="Bishop Harold reflects on his experience of the recent GAFCON conference", Diocese of Down and Dromore official website, 25 June 2018 |work=Down & Dromore Diocese |access-date=19 August 2018 |archive-date=19 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819051223/https://www.downanddromore.org/news/2018/06/Bishop-Harold-reflects-on-his-experience-of-the-recent-GAFCON-conference#.W3i2o-j7QdV |url-status=live }}</ref> Their participation was criticised by some members of the Church of Ireland.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/bishops-presence-at-gafcon-an-absolute-disgrace-1.3542265|title=Bishops' presence at Gafcon an 'absolute disgrace'|last=McGaNry|first=Patsy|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|access-date=2019-10-01|archive-date=20 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220012508/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/bishops-presence-at-gafcon-an-absolute-disgrace-1.3542265|url-status=live}}</ref> The Church of Ireland is not a member of GAFCON and the church communicated that attendance by clergy was unofficial in "a personal capacity" and the General Synod has voted against GAFCON's statement on the Lambeth Conference.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/29-june/news/world/irish-gafcon-participants-are-out-of-touch-with-laity|title=Irish GAFCON participants are 'out of touch with laity'|last=Ryan|first=Gregg|date=29 June 2018|website=Church Times|access-date=1 October 2019|archive-date=1 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001031319/https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/29-june/news/world/irish-gafcon-participants-are-out-of-touch-with-laity|url-status=live}}</ref> GAFCON supporters refuted their critics claims, saying that they endorse Lambeth 1.10 resolution on human sexuality, which is still the official stance of the Church of Ireland, but has been rejected by the liberal churches of the [[Anglican Communion]]. The Rev. Charles Raven stated: "the charge that GAFCON is a breakaway or separatist group is not supported by the evidence. It is a movement of reform and revitalisation which has enabled faithful Anglicans to remain within the Communion, especially in North America and Brazil. While being clear that participation in its common life is based upon fidelity to the biblical gospel, not merely upon historic ties, the Jerusalem Statement and Declaration of 2008 says quite unequivocally that 'Our fellowship is not breaking away from the Anglican Communion'."<ref>[https://www.gafcon.org/news/authentic-anglicanism-and-false-fears "Authentic Anglicanism and False Fears"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411183319/https://www.gafcon.org/news/authentic-anglicanism-and-false-fears%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2CkyUcxsuDYmTJeIe6Huj31ZqTbwKMt7RKN0ZTGGRbDJbX_BNbbInFDOE |date=11 April 2020 }}, GAFCON official website, 28 January 2020.</ref>

===Ecumenical relations===
Like many other Anglican churches, the Church of Ireland is a member of many ecumenical bodies, including the [[World Council of Churches]], the [[Conference of European Churches]], [[Churches Together in Britain and Ireland]] and the [[Irish Council of Churches]]. It is also a member of the [[Porvoo Communion]].

===Flags===
[[File:St Patrick's saltire.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|[[St Patrick's flag]]]]

In 1999,<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Journal of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland 1999|url=https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Synod/Journal1999.pdf|journal=1999|page=69|access-date=19 September 2018|archive-date=26 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926212933/https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Synod/Journal1999.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> the church voted to prohibit the flying of flags other than [[St Patrick's flag]] and the [[Flag of the Anglican Communion]].<ref>Flags of the World: [http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ie-stpat.html#cofi St. Patrick's Flag as flag of Church of Ireland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618211832/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ie-stpat.html#cofi |date=18 June 2008 }}: "The General Synod of the Church of Ireland recognises that from time to time confusion and controversy have attended the flying of flags on church buildings or within the grounds of church buildings. This Synod therefore resolves that the only flags specifically authorised to be flown on church buildings or within the church grounds of the Church of Ireland are the cross of St Patrick or, alternatively, the flag of the Anglican Communion bearing the emblem of the Compassrose. Such flags are authorised to be flown only on Holy Days and during the Octaves of Christmas, Easter, the Ascension of Our Lord, Pentecost, and on any other such day as may be recognised locally as the Dedication Day of the particular church building. Any other flag flown at any other time is not specifically authorised by this Church ..."</ref> However, the [[Union Flag]] continues to fly on many churches in [[Northern Ireland]].

===Publications===
The church has an official website. Its journal is ''[[The Church of Ireland Gazette]]'', which is editorially independent, but the governing body of which is appointed by the church. Many parishes and other internal organizations also produce newsletters or other publications, as well as maintaining websites.

==Doctrine and practice==
{{See also|Anglicanism|Anglican doctrine}}

The centre of the Church of Ireland's teaching is the life, death and resurrection of [[Jesus Christ]]. The basic teachings of the church include:
* [[Chalcedonianism|Chalcedonian]] [[Christology]]; Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God in one person. He died and was resurrected from the dead.
* Jesus provides the way of eternal life for those who believe.
* The Old and New Testaments of the Bible ("God's Word written") were written by people "under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit". The Apocrypha are additional books that are to be read, but not to determine doctrine. The [[Biblical apocrypha#King James Version|Apocrypha of the King James version]] of the Bible constitutes the books of the [[Vulgate]] version that are present neither in the [[Tanakh|Hebrew Old Testament]] nor the Greek [[New Testament]].
* The "two great and necessary" [[Anglican sacraments|sacraments]] are [[Baptism]] and the [[Eucharist]] (also called Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper).
* Those [[Anglican sacraments|"commonly called Sacraments that are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel"]] are [[confirmation]], [[ordination]], marriage, [[Confession (religion)|reconciliation of a penitent]] and [[unction]].
* Belief in [[heaven]], [[hell]] and [[second coming|Jesus's return in glory]].

The 16th-century apologist, [[Richard Hooker]], posits that there are three sources of authority in Anglicanism: scripture, tradition, and reason. It is not known how widely accepted this idea is within Anglicanism. It is further posited that the three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way. In Hooker's model, scripture is the primary means of arriving at doctrine; things stated plainly in scripture are accepted as true. Issues that are ambiguous are determined by tradition, which is checked by reason.<ref>[http://www.anglicanlistening.org/anglican_listening_61766_ENG_HTM.htm Anglican Listening] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705192528/http://www.anglicanlistening.org/anglican_listening_61766_ENG_HTM.htm |date=5 July 2008 }} Detail on how scripture, tradition and reason work to "uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way".</ref>

===Modern doctrinal debates===
==== Ordination of women ====
In recent decades, the church has ordained women to all offices. In 1984, the General Synod approved the ordination of women to the diaconate and, in 1987, the first woman, Katherine Poulton, was ordained as a deacon.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=McCready|first=David|date=2006|title=The ordination of women in the Church of Ireland|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Section C: Archaeology, Celtic Studies, History, Linguistics, Literature|volume=106C|pages=367–394|doi=10.3318/PRIC.2006.106.1.367|jstor=40657882|s2cid=153389806 |issn=0035-8991|doi-access=free}}</ref> In 1990, the church began ordaining women to the priesthood.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/church-of-ireland-ordains-first-two-women-priests/article_578ce529-8789-5d1b-b069-1db8d76a4b88.html|title=Church of Ireland Ordains First Two Women Priests|website=Tulsa World|date=25 June 1990 |access-date=14 May 2016|archive-date=24 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124215909/https://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/church-of-ireland-ordains-first-two-women-priests/article_578ce529-8789-5d1b-b069-1db8d76a4b88.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The first two women ordained were [[Kathleen Margaret Brown]] and Irene Templeton. In 2013, the church appointed its first female bishop, [[Pat Storey]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/20/anglicans-appoint-first-woman-bishop-rev-pat-storey|title=Anglicans appoint first female bishop in UK and Ireland |date=20 September 2013|website=The Guardian|access-date=14 May 2016|archive-date=20 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160720200924/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/20/anglicans-appoint-first-woman-bishop-rev-pat-storey|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Same-sex unions and LGBT clergy ====
{{See also|Homosexuality and the Anglican Communion}}

The church has been divided over aspects of human sexuality. In 2002, the issue became pertinent as a rector provided a blessing for a lesbian couple.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Tierney|first1=Ciaran|title=Lesbian couple get church blessing.(News)|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-92208364.html |date=September 28, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023012132/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-92208364.html|archive-date=23 October 2012|journal=The Mirror|access-date=11 January 2016}}</ref> The denomination announced a period of discernment to allocate time to the perspectives within the discussion. In 2010, a congregation was recognised by the church for receiving an LGBTI award for offering services for LGBTI people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ireland.anglican.org/news/3278|title=LGBT Award for Cork Church of Ireland Clergyman |website=Church of Ireland|access-date=30 April 2016|archive-date=31 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531181541/http://ireland.anglican.org/news/3278}}</ref> The Church of Ireland canon defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and does not perform same-sex marriages, but the church also supported the legal right of same-sex couples to register a civil marriage.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Same-sex marriage: Church of Ireland body declares gay people should be able to wed|url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/same-sex-marriage-church-ireland-body-declares-gay-people-should-be-able-wed-1995930|access-date=2021-06-26|website=Belfast News Letter |first=Adam |last=Kula |date=27 February 2020 |language=en|archive-date=26 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626083235/https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/same-sex-marriage-church-ireland-body-declares-gay-people-should-be-able-wed-1995930|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Church of Ireland body's pro-gay marriage stance hailed by same-sex campaign group|url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/people/church-ireland-bodys-pro-gay-marriage-stance-hailed-same-sex-campaign-group-2004045|access-date=2021-06-26|website=Belfast News Letter|date=28 February 2020 |language=en|archive-date=26 June 2021 |first=Adam |last=Kula |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626083235/https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/people/church-ireland-bodys-pro-gay-marriage-stance-hailed-same-sex-campaign-group-2004045|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Church of Ireland clarifies position on same-sex marriage after confusion|url=https://www.christiantoday.com/article/church-of-ireland-clarifies-position-on-same-sex-marriage-after-confusion/134343.htm|access-date=2021-06-26|website= Christian Today|date=2 March 2020 |language=en|archive-date=11 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411151420/https://www.christiantoday.com/article/church-of-ireland-clarifies-position-on-same-sex-marriage-after-confusion/134343.htm }}</ref>

[[File:Christ Church 001.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.0|Interior of [[Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin|Christ Church Cathedral]]]]

[[Civil partnership in the United Kingdom|Civil partnerships]] have been allowed since 2005. The church has no official position on civil unions. In 2008, "the Church of Ireland Pensions Board ha[d] confirmed that it will treat civil partners the same as spouses."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/listening-process-vital-to-bring-gay-lesbian-clergy-in-from-margins-1.945021|title=Listening process vital to bring gay, lesbian clergy in from margins|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=26 May 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019220254/https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/listening-process-vital-to-bring-gay-lesbian-clergy-in-from-margins-1.945021|url-status=live}}</ref> The General Synod adopted the Pensions Board's policy in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016|title=Guide to the Conversation on Human Sexuality in the Context of Christian Belief|url=https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Information/Resources/SelComm/Guide_Jan16.pdf|url-status=live|website=Church of Ireland|access-date=2 July 2021|archive-date=31 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731192758/https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Information/Resources/SelComm/Guide_Jan16.pdf}}</ref> In 2011, a cleric in the Church of Ireland entered into a same-sex civil partnership with his bishop's permission.<ref>{{cite news|title=Minister Rev Tom Gordon civil partnership 'welcomed'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-14787854 |access-date=11 January 2016|work=BBC News|date=2011-09-05|archive-date=11 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111094251/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-14787854|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishcentral.com/news/top-church-of-ireland-minister-reveals-his-same-sex-marriage-129252023-237410031|title=Top Church of Ireland minister reveals his same sex marriage|date=5 September 2011|work=IrishCentral |first=Cathal |last=Dervan |access-date=5 November 2017|language=en|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107004404/https://www.irishcentral.com/news/top-church-of-ireland-minister-reveals-his-same-sex-marriage-129252023-237410031|url-status=live}}</ref> Assurances of sexual abstinence were not required from the cleric.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/bishop-under-fire-over-clerics-gay-marriage-28657118.html|title=Bishop under fire over cleric's gay marriage|work=Belfast Telegraph |date=12 Sep 2011 |first=Alf |last=McCreary |access-date=5 November 2017|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107164711/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/bishop-under-fire-over-clerics-gay-marriage-28657118.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, the church's Clergy Pension Fund continued to recognise that "the pension entitlement of a member's registered civil partner will be the same as that of a surviving spouse."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/AboutUs/cpf/CPF_Booklet_12.pdf|title=Church of Ireland: Clergy Pensions Fund Explanatory Booklet|date=April 2012 |publisher=Church of Ireland|access-date=30 October 2016|archive-date=18 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118181146/https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/AboutUs/cpf/CPF_Booklet_12.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Regarding cohabitation, the church said that "any view of cohabitation has to be the intention of the couple to lifelong loyalty and faithfulness within their relationship."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ireland.anglican.org/our-faith/apck/marriage|title=Marriage|work=Church of Ireland|access-date=23 April 2017|archive-date=10 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710060422/https://www.ireland.anglican.org/our-faith/apck/marriage|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2004, then Archbishop [[John Neill (archbishop of Dublin)|John Neill]] said that the "Church would support the extension of legal rights on issues such as tax, welfare benefits, inheritance and hospital visits to [[Cohabitation|cohabiting couples]], both same gender and others."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/bishops-to-discuss-rights-for-cohabiting-couples-1.1166684|title=Bishops to discuss rights for cohabiting couples|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=2018-12-04|language=en-US|archive-date=26 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926212934/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/bishops-to-discuss-rights-for-cohabiting-couples-1.1166684|url-status=live}}</ref> The church recognises four general viewpoints within the denomination ranging from opposition to acceptance toward [[same-gender relationship]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ireland.anglican.org/information/85|title=Church of Ireland – A Member of the Anglican Communion|last=Synod)|first=Central Communications Board of the General|website=Church of Ireland|access-date=15 May 2016|archive-date=3 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603173307/http://ireland.anglican.org/information/85|url-status=live}}</ref>

Prior to the referendum on same-sex marriage, the church remained neutral on the issue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/same-sex-marriage-church-of-ireland-1915416-Feb2015/|title=Church of Ireland won't be campaigning for same-sex marriage vote|last=Ryan|first=Órla|website=TheJournal.ie|date=2 February 2015 |access-date=23 April 2016|archive-date=28 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428202456/http://www.thejournal.ie/same-sex-marriage-church-of-ireland-1915416-Feb2015/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, the Bishop of Cork, the Rt. Rev. [[Paul Colton]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-27460784|title=Same-sex marriage backed by Church of Ireland bishop – BBC News|language=en-GB|access-date=12 April 2016|date=2014-05-18|archive-date=25 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325011155/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-27460784|url-status=live}}</ref> Bishop [[Michael Burrows (bishop)|Michael Burrows]] of Cashel,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/northern-ireland-news/gay-row-could-cause-church-of-ireland-schism-1-6727317|title=Gay row could 'cause Church of Ireland schism'|website=Belfast News Letter|access-date=12 April 2016|archive-date=25 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425012934/http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/northern-ireland-news/gay-row-could-cause-church-of-ireland-schism-1-6727317|url-status=live}}</ref> and two retired archbishops of Dublin endorsed same-sex marriage.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/archbishops-and-leading-theologian-call-for-yes-vote-1.2210129|title=Archbishops and leading theologian call for Yes vote|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en-US|access-date=23 April 2016|archive-date=27 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427061159/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/archbishops-and-leading-theologian-call-for-yes-vote-1.2210129|url-status=live}}</ref> While voting "no" on gay marriage, Bishop Pat Storey endorsed civil unions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://legacy.wtsp.com/story/news/2015/05/22/ireland-gay-marriage-public-vote/27766901/|title=Ireland set to approve gay marriage in public vote|website=10NEWS|access-date=12 April 2016}}{{dead link|date=January 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Also, 55 clergy signed a letter supporting the blessing of same-sex couples.<ref>{{cite web|title=Letter from Church of Ireland clergy in support of TEC following Primates gathering|url=http://www.episcopalcafe.com/letter-from-church-of-ireland-clergy-in-support-of-tec-following-primates-gathering/|website=episcopalcafe.com|publisher=Episcopal Cafe|access-date=1 February 2016|date=February 2016|archive-date=2 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202102333/http://www.episcopalcafe.com/letter-from-church-of-ireland-clergy-in-support-of-tec-following-primates-gathering/|url-status=live}}</ref> In its pastoral letter, the church reiterated that, presently, church marriages are only for heterosexual couples, but that clergy may offer prayers for same-sex couples.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.episcopalcafe.com/house-of-bishops-in-the-church-of-ireland-develop-a-pastoral-letter-regarding-same-gender-marriage-in-the-republic/|title=House of Bishops in the Church of Ireland develop a pastoral letter regarding same gender marriage in the Republic|website=Episcopal Cafe|language=en-US|access-date=12 April 2016|date=2016-01-02|archive-date=24 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424203043/http://www.episcopalcafe.com/house-of-bishops-in-the-church-of-ireland-develop-a-pastoral-letter-regarding-same-gender-marriage-in-the-republic/|url-status=live}}</ref> When asked about clergy entering into civil same-sex marriages, the letter stated that "all are free to exercise their democratic entitlements once they are enshrined in legislation. However, members of the clergy, are further bound by the Ordinal and by the authority of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland."<ref name=":0" /> Services of Thanksgiving for same-sex marriage have taken place in congregations; for example, St Audoen's Church hosted "a service of thanksgiving" for same-sex marriage.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.churchnewsireland.org/wp-content/uploads/CNI-News-July-4.pdf|title=Church News Ireland: Service of Thanksgiving for referendum decision|date=2 July 2015|access-date=18 December 2016|via=churchnewsireland.org|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220153000/http://www.churchnewsireland.org/wp-content/uploads/CNI-News-July-4.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> LGBTI services are also allowed by the [[Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://churchofirelandcork.com/2015/05/16/st-annes-shandon-cork-will-host-service-for-idahot-day/|title=St Anne's, Shandon, Cork Will Host Service for IDAHOT Day|date=16 May 2015|website=Latest News from the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross|access-date=19 December 2016|last3=Cork|first3=Diocese of|last4=Cloyne|last5=Ross|archive-date=26 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926212949/https://churchofirelandcork.com/2015/05/16/st-annes-shandon-cork-will-host-service-for-idahot-day/|url-status=live}}</ref>

REFORM Ireland, a conservative lobby, has criticised the official letter as "a dangerous departure from confessing Anglicanism" and continues to oppose same-sex marriage recognition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anglican.ink/article/reform-ireland-takes-their-bishops-task-over-their-gay-marriage-pastoral-letter|title=Reform Ireland takes their bishops to task over their gay marriage pastoral letter {{!}} Anglican Ink 2016|website=www.anglican.ink|date=29 December 2015 |access-date=2 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816015715/http://www.anglican.ink/article/reform-ireland-takes-their-bishops-task-over-their-gay-marriage-pastoral-letter|archive-date=16 August 2016}}</ref> Reflecting division, the church deferred its report on same-sex marriage to listen to all voices.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/samesex-marriage-church-of-ireland-defers-report-on-elephant-in-the-room-31205064.html|title=Same-sex marriage: Church of Ireland defers report on 'elephant in the room' |newspaper=Belfast Telegraph|access-date=12 April 2016|archive-date=21 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421001416/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/samesex-marriage-church-of-ireland-defers-report-on-elephant-in-the-room-31205064.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Church of Ireland Gazette]]'', although "editorially independent", endorsed a blessing rite for same-sex couples.<ref>{{cite web|title=Church of Ireland Gazette calls for blessings for same-sex marriages|url=http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/northern-ireland-news/church-of-ireland-gazette-calls-for-blessings-for-same-sex-marriages-1-7184978|website=newsletter.co.uk|publisher=Newsletter UK|access-date=17 April 2016|archive-date=4 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404045430/http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/northern-ireland-news/church-of-ireland-gazette-calls-for-blessings-for-same-sex-marriages-1-7184978}}</ref> Many congregations, including cathedrals, have become publicly affirming of LGBTI rights.<ref>{{cite web|title=Other Churches supportive of LGBT Christians|url=http://changingattitudeireland.org/welcoming-and-open-congregations-in-ireland/other-churches-supportive-of-lgbt-christians/|website=changingattitudeireland.org|publisher=Changing Attitude Ireland|access-date=18 April 2016|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427220822/http://changingattitudeireland.org/welcoming-and-open-congregations-in-ireland/other-churches-supportive-of-lgbt-christians/|archive-date=27 April 2016}}</ref> A church report has determined that "the moral logic underpinning the negative portrayal of same-sex eroticism in Scripture does not directly address committed, loving, consecrated same-sex relationships today".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.christiantoday.com/article/church.of.ireland.challenged.by.report.on.homosexuality/77080.htm#.VzWrABZtVyA.facebook|title=Church of Ireland challenged by report on homosexuality {{!}} Christian News on Christian Today|author-first1=Ruth|author-last1=Gledhill|website= Christian Today|date=19 January 2016 |access-date=14 May 2016|archive-date=25 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325203003/http://www.christiantoday.com/article/church.of.ireland.challenged.by.report.on.homosexuality/77080.htm#.VzWrABZtVyA.facebook|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Information/Resources/SelComm/Guide_Jan16.pdf|title=Guide to the Conversation on Human Sexuality in the Context of Christian Belief|date=2016|website=Church of Ireland|publisher=General Synod of the Church of Ireland|access-date=14 May 2016|archive-date=24 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424215933/http://ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Information/Resources/SelComm/Guide_Jan16.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2017, the General Synod considered a proposal to request for public services of thanksgiving for same-sex couples, but the proposal was not passed; the church's select committee on human sexuality recommended that the bishops continue to study the issues.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/church-of-ireland-delegates-defeat-motion-on-public-service-for-same-sex-couples-1.3073456|title=Church of Ireland delegates defeat motion on public service for same-sex couples|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=6 May 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=6 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706061411/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/church-of-ireland-delegates-defeat-motion-on-public-service-for-same-sex-couples-1.3073456|url-status=live}}</ref> There were 176 votes against the motion to request public services, 146 in favour, and 24 abstentions.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/church-of-ireland-faces-northsouth-divide-over-gay-marriage-stance-35686003.html|title=Church of Ireland faces north-south divide over gay marriage stance |work=Belfast Telegraph|access-date=25 May 2017|language=en|archive-date=17 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517032508/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/church-of-ireland-faces-northsouth-divide-over-gay-marriage-stance-35686003.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Bishop of Cork, Paul Colton, declared his support for same-sex marriage ceremonies in the Church of Ireland.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/cork-bishop-calls-for-same-sex-marriages-in-church-of-ireland-793217.html|title=Cork bishop calls for same-sex marriages in Church of Ireland|date=12 June 2017|access-date=19 June 2017|archive-date=23 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623231304/http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/cork-bishop-calls-for-same-sex-marriages-in-church-of-ireland-793217.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Three dioceses, the [[Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe|United Diocese of Tuam, Limerick, and Killaloe]], the [[Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough]], and the [[Diocese of Cashel and Ossory|Diocese of Cashel, Ferns, and Ossory]] have voted to support the blessing of civil same-sex marriages, requesting that a motion be considered by the General Synod.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Two dioceses back call for same-sex marriage rites for the Church of Ireland {{!}} Anglican Ink © 2023 |url=https://anglican.ink/2023/11/06/two-dioceses-back-call-for-same-sex-marriage-rites-for-the-church-of-ireland/ |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=anglican.ink|date=7 November 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Third Irish diocese asks general synod to permit same-sex blessings {{!}} Anglican Ink © 2023 |url=https://anglican.ink/2023/11/27/third-irish-diocese-asks-general-synod-to-permit-same-sex-blessings/ |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=anglican.ink|date=28 November 2023 }}</ref>

===Liturgical issues===
====Irish language====
The first translation of the [[Book of Common Prayer]] into Irish was published in 1606. An Irish translation of the revised prayer book of 1662 was published in 1712.

The Church of Ireland has its own Irish language body, ''[[Cumann Gaeilge na hEaglaise|Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise]]'' ("Irish Guild of the Church"). This was founded in 1914 to bring together members of the Church of Ireland interested in the [[Irish language]] and Gaelic culture and to promote the Irish language within the Church of Ireland. The guild aims to link its programmes with the Irish language initiatives which have been centred round [[Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin|Christ Church Cathedral]]. It holds services twice a month in Irish.<ref>Church of Ireland Notes, page 2, ''Irish Times'', 10 January 2009.</ref>

From 1926 to 1995, the church had its own Irish-language teacher training college, ''[[Coláiste Moibhí]]''. Today, there are a number of interdenominational ''[[Gaelscoileanna]]'' (schools where [[Irish-medium education]] is applied).

==See also==
{{Portal|Christianity|Ireland}}
* [[Anglo-Irish]]
* [[Church of England]]
* [[Scottish Episcopal Church]]
* [[Episcopal Church (United States)]]
* [[Church in Wales]]
* [[Bishops' Selection Conference]]
* [[Protestantism in Ireland]]
* [[Religion in Northern Ireland]]
* [[Religion in the Republic of Ireland]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite journal|last=Barlett|first=Thomas |title=The Catholic Question in the Eighteenth Century |journal=History Ireland |year= 1993 |volume=1 |issue=1}}
* {{cite web |last1=Church of Ireland |title=Irish and Universal |url=https://www.ireland.anglican.org/our-faith/apck/irish-and-universal |website=Ireland.anglican.com |access-date=4 October 2020}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Clarke|first1=Aidan|title=Varieties of Uniformity: The First Century of the Church of Ireland |journal=Studies in Church History|volume=25|date=1989|pages=105–122|doi=10.1017/S0424208400008615|s2cid=155239989 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Condon |first1=Mary |title=The Irish Church and the Reform Ministries |journal=Journal of British Studies |date=1964 |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=120–142 |doi=10.1086/385484|s2cid=144148582 }}
* {{cite odnb|id=16494|title=John Leslie; 1571-1671|last=Diamond |first=Ciaran |year=2009}}
* {{cite book |author-last=Flanagan|author-first=Marie Therese|editor-last=Ó Cróinín |editor-first=Dáibhí |title=High-kings with opposition, 1072–1166 in 'A New History of Ireland' Volume I|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2005 |isbn = 978-0-19-922665-8}}
* {{cite journal |last=Flaningam |first=John |title=The Occasional Conformity Controversy: Ideology and Party Politics, 1697-1711 |journal=Journal of British Studies |date=1977 |volume=17 |issue=1|pages=38–62 |jstor=175691 |doi=10.1086/385711 |s2cid=143833517 }}
* {{Cite book|last=Flechner |first=Roy |title=Saint Patrick Retold: The Legend and History of Ireland's Patron Saint |publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2019 |isbn=978-0-691-18464-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Harris |first=Tim |title=Restoration: Charles II and His Kingdoms, 1660–1685 |year = 2006 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-14-026465-4 }}
* {{cite book |last = Harris |first = Tim |title=Revolution; the Great Crisis of the British Monarchy 1685–1720 |year=2007 |publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0-14-101652-8}}
* {{cite journal |last=James |first=Francis Godwin |title=The Church of Ireland in the Early 18th Century |journal=Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church |date=1979 |volume=48 |issue=4 }}
* {{cite book |author-last=Higgins|author-first=Ian|editor1-last =MacInnes |editor1-first =Alan |editor2-last = Graham |editor2-first = Lesley|editor3-last = German |editor3-first = Kieran|title = Jonathan Swift's Memoirs of a Jacobite in 'Living with Jacobitism, 1690–1788: The Three Kingdoms and Beyond' |year = 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn = 978-1-84893-470-2 }}
* {{cite book|last=Llywelyn|first=Morgan|title=1014: Brian Boru & the Battle for Ireland|publisher=Courier Dover|year=2020|isbn= 978-0-486-84200-4}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Muldoon |first1=Andrew |title=Recusants, Church-Papists, and "Comfortable" Missionaries: Assessing the Post-Reformation English Catholic Community |journal=The Catholic Historical Review |date=2000 |volume=86 |issue=2|pages=242–257 |doi=10.1353/cat.2000.0188 |jstor=25025711|s2cid=156408188 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Murray |first1=James |title=Enforcing the English Reformation in Ireland: Clerical Resistance and Political Conflict in the Diocese of Dublin, 1534 – 1590 |date=2009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-77038-5 }}
* {{cite book|last=O'Brian |first=Conor Cruise |title=The Great Melody |year=2015|publisher=Faber & Faber|isbn=978-0-571-32566-5 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=O'Mahony |first1=Eion |title=Religious Practice and Values in Ireland A summary of European Values Study 4th wave data |journal=Council for Research & Development |date=2010 |url=https://www.catholicbishops.ie/wp-content/uploads/images/stories/cco_publications/researchanddevelopment/evs_4th_wave_report.pdf}}
* {{cite book |last = Overton |first = J. H. |title=The Nonjurors: Their Lives, Principles, and Writings |year = 2018 |orig-date = 1902 |publisher=Wentworth Press |isbn=978-0-530-23733-6 }}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Pearce |editor-first1=Edward |title=The Diaries of Charles Greville |date=2005 |publisher=Pimlico |isbn=978-1-84413-404-5 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Richardson |first=Joseph |title=Archbishop William King (1650-1729): 'Church Tory and State Whig'? |journal=Eighteenth-Century Ireland / Iris an Dá Chultúr |year = 2000|volume=15|pages=54–76 |doi=10.3828/eci.2000.6 |jstor=30071442|s2cid=256128026 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Sheehy |first1=Maurice P |title=The Bull 'Laudabiliter': A Problem in Medieval Diplomatique and History |journal=Galway Archaeological and Historical Society |date=1961 |volume=29 |issue=3/4|pages=45–70 |jstor=25535386}}
* {{cite journal |last=Simms |first = J. G.|title=The Bishops' Banishment Act of 1697 (9 Will. III, C. 1) |journal=Irish Historical Studies |year=1970 |volume=17 |issue=66|pages = 185–199|doi = 10.1017/S0021121400111381|jstor=30005134| s2cid=191800775 }}
* {{cite thesis |last = Wallace |first = Raymond Leslie |title = The Articles of the Church of Ireland 1615 |year = 1949 |institution = University of Edinburgh|type = unpublished doctoral thesis}}
* {{cite journal |last= Walshe |first = Helen Coburn |title=Enforcing the Elizabethan Settlement: The Vicissitudes of Hugh Brady, Bishop of Meath, 1563–84 |journal=Irish Historical Studies |date=November 1989 |volume=26 |issue=104|pages = 352–376 |doi = 10.1017/S0021121400010117 |jstor=30008693|s2cid = 159568621 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Young |first1=Francis |title=Making medieval Ireland English |journal=History Today |date=2020 |volume=70|issue=3}}

==Further reading==
* Cross, F. L. (ed.) (1957) ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church''. Oxford: U. P.; pp.&nbsp;700–701
* Fair, John D. "The Irish disestablishment conference of 1869." ''Journal of Ecclesiastical History'' 26.4 (1975): 379–394.
* MacCarthy, Robert ''Ancient and Modern: a short history of the Church of Ireland''. Four Courts Press Ltd., 1995
* McCormack, Christopher F. "The Irish Church Disestablishment Act (1869) and the general synod of the Church of Ireland (1871): the art and structure of educational reform." ''History of Education'' 47.3 (2018): 303–320.
* McDowell, Robert Brendan. ''The Church of Ireland 1869–1969'' (Routledge, 2017_.
* Neill, Stephen (1965) ''Anglicanism''. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books
* ''The Church of Ireland: An illustrated history'' Booklink. 2013 {{ISBN|1-906886-56-3}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ireland.anglican.org Church of Ireland]
* [http://www.theologicalinstitute.ie Church of Ireland Theological Institute]
* [http://www.library.ireland.anglican.org Representative Church Body Library]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131210131808/http://www.tlogical.net/irish.htm Irish Articles of 1615]

{{Clear}}
{{Anglicanism (footer)|collapsed}}
{{Anglican Communion Churches}}
{{Church of Ireland dioceses}}
{{Anglican Bishops & Archbishops - Great Britain}}
{{Porvoo Communion}}
{{Christianity in the United Kingdom}}
{{World Council of Churches}}
{{Kingdom of Ireland}}
{{Subject bar|commons=yes|commons-search=Category:Church of Ireland|s=yes|s-search=Category:Church of Ireland}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Church of Ireland}}
[[Category:Church of Ireland| ]]
[[Category:1536 establishments in Ireland]]
[[Category:Anglican Communion church bodies|Ireland]]
[[Category:Protestantism in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Members of the World Council of Churches|Ireland]]
[[Category:All-Ireland organisations]]
[[Category:Anglicanism in Ireland]]
[[Category:Anglicanism in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Christianity in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1536]]