The pre-Reformation Christian church in Ireland was first divided into dioceses at the Synod of Ráth Breasail in 1111, although the dioceses of Dublin and

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

were founded earlier by Hiberno Norse rulers with bishops consecrated by the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

in England. The boundaries were reconfigured at the Synod of Kells in 1152 into 37 dioceses. A few were later abolished, as when Glendalough merged Dublin in 1214–16. After the

Reformation in Ireland The Reformation in Ireland was a movement for the reform of religious life and institutions that was introduced into Ireland by the English administration at the behest of King Henry VIII of England. His desire for an annulment of his marriage wa ...

, the established Anglican

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 ...

was ''de jure'' the continuation to the pre-Reformation church. The Church Temporalities Act 1833 effected the abolition of 10 Church of Ireland dioceses by merger with neighbouring ones. Further mergers subsequently mean there are now 12 Church of Ireland dioceses in Ireland. The Roman Catholic diocesan structure was prohibited under Penal Laws but bishops were consecrated abroad and visited Ireland in secret. By the eighteenth century they resumed residency. Although the

Ecclesiastical Titles Act 1851 The Ecclesiastical Titles Act 1851 was an Act of the British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at ...

made it illegal for Roman Catholic dioceses to use the same names as those of the Church of Ireland and England, this was not enforced in Ireland. There are now 26 Roman Catholic dioceses in Ireland.

References

* History of Christianity in Ireland {{Ireland-hist-stub

See also

References