The United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare 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 ...

in 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 ...

located 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 ...

. The diocese 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 ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. Alone of English and Irish bishops who are not also archbishops, the Bishop of Meath and Kildare is styled "

The Most Reverend The Most Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures, primarily within the historic denominations of Christianity, but occasionally in some more modern traditions also. It is a variant of the more common style "The Reverend". Anglic ...

". The electoral college met in

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Christ Church Cathedral, more formally The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the ( ...

on 28 May 2013 and no candidate put forward received the support of two-thirds of the electoral college voting in orders (lay and clergy). On 20 September 2013, it was announced that the

House of Bishops The House of Bishops is the third House in a General Synod of some Anglican churches and the second house in the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

(to whom the appointment had lapsed on the failure of the college's vote) had appointed as bishop-elect

Pat Storey Patricia Storey (née Shaw; born 30 March 1960) is an Irish Anglican bishop. Since 2013, she has been the Bishop of Meath and Kildare in the Church of Ireland. She was the first woman to become a bishop in the Church of Ireland and the first ...

, who became the first woman to be a bishop in the Church of Ireland.

History of the Diocese of Meath

Although there had been abbot-bishops at

Clonard Abbey Clonard Abbey (Irish, ''Cluain Eraird'', or ''Cluain Iraird'', "Erard's Meadow") was an early medieval monastery situated on the River Boyne in Clonard, County Meath, Ireland. Early history The monastery was founded in about 520 by Saint F ...

since the sixth century, the Diocese of Clonard proper was not formally established until 1111. It was one of the twenty-four dioceses established by the

Synod of Rathbreasail A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mean ...

. The diocese covered roughly the western part of the

Kingdom of Meath Meath (; Old Irish: ''Mide'' ; spelt ''Mí'' in Modern Irish) was a kingdom in Ireland from the 1st to the 12th century AD. Its name means "middle," denoting its location in the middle of the island. At its greatest extent, it included all of ...

with the bishop's seat located at

. During the twelfth century, the bishops of Clonard acquired most of Meath as their territory and frequently used the title "Bishop of Meath" or "Bishop of the men of Meath". After Bishop

Simon Rochfort Simon Rochfort (also Simon de Rupeforti; died 1224) was an English bishop of Meath in Ireland. Life Rochfort was the first Englishman to hold the see of Meath, to which he was consecrated in 1194. He was one of the judges appointed by Pope I ...

transferred his seat from Clonard to

Trim Trim or TRIM may refer to: Cutting * Cutting or trimming small pieces off something to remove them ** Book trimming, a stage of the publishing process ** Pruning, trimming as a form of pruning often used on trees Decoration * Trim (sewing), or ...

in 1202, the normal style became the "Bishop of Meath".

History of the Diocese of Kildare

In the 5th century, the Abbey of Kildare was founded by

Saint Brigid Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland ( ga, Naomh Bríd; la, Brigida; 525) is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiogra ...

, a double monastery of nuns and monks. The abbey was governed by an abbess, who was the "heir of Brigit" ('' comarbae Brigte''), and by abbots, bishops and abbot-bishops who were subordinate to the abbess. It was not until the 12th century however, that the bishopric was formally established at the

(1111 AD). The diocese covered roughly the northern part of

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

and the eastern part of

County Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

Diocesan structure

In Meath

The cathedral church of the former diocese is

Trim Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St Patrick, Trim is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Trim, County Meath, Ireland. Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Meath, it is now one of two cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare which ...

. There are ten parishes in this part of the United Dioceses:

Athboy Athboy () is a small agricultural town located in County Meath. The town is located on the ''Yellow Ford River'', in wooded country near the County Westmeath border. Local Clubs are Clann Na nGael and Athboy Celtic. History In medieval tim ...

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

Castlepollard Castlepollard ( or ''Cionn Toirc'') is a village in north County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland. It lies west of Lough Lene and northeast of Lough Derravaragh and Mullingar. Name The name ''Castlepollard'' comes from the name of a castle or ...

(Rathgraffe), Clara,

Julianstown Julianstown () is a village in County Meath, Ireland. It is located near Drogheda on the R132 regional road. In 1641, the Battle of Julianstown was fought here during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. Julianstown is situated on the River Nanny ( ...

, Kells,

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeat ...

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland by population, tenth largest settlement in ...

, and

Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, midlands reg ...

(Kilbride). The dean is the Dean of Clonmacnoise.

In Kildare

The cathedral church of the former diocese is

Kildare Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St. Brigid, Kildare, in Kildare, County Kildare, is one of two cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare of the Church of Ireland in Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. History Early hi ...

. There are six parishes in this part of the United Dioceses:

Clane Clane (; ) is a town in County Kildare, Ireland, from Dublin. Its population of 7,280 makes it the eighth largest town in Kildare and the 66th largest in Ireland. It is on the River Liffey. Clane gives its name to the associated townland, ci ...

, Clonsast ( Clonbullogue),

Mountmellick Mountmellick or Mountmellic () is a town in the north of County Laois, Ireland. It lies on the N80 national secondary road and the R422 and R423 regional roads. Name ''Mountmellick'', sometimes spelt ''Montmellick'' or ''Montmellic'', is a ...

Naas Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge. History The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...

, Newbridge (Morristownbiller), and Portarlington St Paul (French Church).Parishes in the Diocese of Meath & Kildare
''Church of Ireland''. Retrieved on 16 June 2009. The dean is the

Dean of Kildare The Dean of Kildare is based at The Cathedral Church of St Brigid, Kildare in the united Diocese of Meath and Kildare within the Church of Ireland. The current Dean is the Very Reverend Tim Wright. List of deans of Kildare *1272 - after 1279 St ...

List of bishops of Meath and Kildare

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meath And Kildare, Diocese Of Meath Religion in County Meath Religion in County Kildare Religion in County Cavan Religion in County Laois Religion in County Westmeath Archdeacons of Meath and Kildare Church of Ireland in the Republic of Ireland