The Diocese of Derry and Raphoe is a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

in the north-west of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

. Its geographical remit straddles two civil jurisdictions: in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, it covers all of

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...

and large parts of

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...

while in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

it covers

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

Overview and history

After the

Church in England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

broke communion with the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, by decree of the Irish Parliament, the

became the

Established Church A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular, is not necessarily a t ...

in the

Kingdom of Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label=Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label=Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed from ...

. The English-speaking minority mostly adhered to the

or to

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, while the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

undertook extensive mission work and retained the allegiance of the majority of the population in Ireland as a whole. From the 1830s onwards, many Anglican dioceses were merged, in view of declining membership. The sees of

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

and

Raphoe Raphoe ( ; ) is a historical village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was later divided into the baronies of R ...

were united in 1834. It is for this reason that the united diocese has two

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

Cathedrals

* The Cathedral Church of St Columb, Derry, Northern Ireland. * The Cathedral Church of St Eunan,

, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland.

List of Bishops

The following is a basic list the bishops. * 1831–1853:

Richard Ponsonby The Rt. Rev. and Hon. Richard Ponsonby (1772–1853) was an Irish clergyman who held high office in the Church of Ireland. Life He was born at Dublin in 1772, the third son of William Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Imokilly and Louisa Mole ...

* 1853–1867:

William Higgin William Higgin (1793 – 12 July 1867) was the 18th Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe from 1849 until 1843, when he was translated to Derry and Raphoe. Higgin was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating BA as 13th wrangler in ...

* 1867–1896: William Alexander * 1896–1916: George Alexander Chadwick * 1916–1944: Joseph Irvine Peacocke * 1945–1958:

Robert McNeil Boyd Robert McNeil Boyd Military Cross, MC (12 February 1890 – 1 July 1958) was the 11th Bishop of Killaloe and Clonfert, Bishop of Killaloe, Kilfenora, Clonfert and Kilmacduagh from 1943 until 1945, when he was translated to Bishop of Derry and Raph ...

* 1958–1969: Charles John Tyndall * 1970–1975: Cuthbert Irvine Peacocke * 1975–1980: Robert "Robin" Eames * 1980–2002:

James Mehaffey James Mehaffey (29 March 1931 – 6 January 2020) was Bishop of Derry and Raphoe of the Church of Ireland from 1980 to 2002. Early life and minstry Born on 29 March 1931 and educated at Trinity College, Dublin he was ordained in 1955. He began ...

* 2002–2019: Right Reverend Kenneth (Ken) Raymond Good * 2019–present: Andrew Forster

References

External links

Diocesan homepage
{{authority control Derry and Raphoe Religion in County Londonderry Religion in County Donegal Religion in County Tyrone Church of Ireland in the Republic of Ireland

Overview and history

Cathedrals

List of Bishops

See also

References

External links