John Ward Armstrong (30 September 1915 – 21 July 1987) was an Irish Anglican

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

and served as Archbishop of Armagh from 1980 to 1986,

Education and priestly ministry

Armstrong was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, the eldest of four sons (there were no daughters) of John Armstrong, a Belfast corporation official, and his wife, Elizabeth Ward. He was educated at the

Belfast Royal Academy The Belfast Royal Academy (commonly shortened to ) is the oldest school in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school in north Belfast. The Academy is one of 8 schools in Northern ...

and Trinity College, Dublin. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

deacon in 1938, and his first position was at

All Saints Church, Grangegorman All Saints Church, Grangegorman is a Church of Ireland church located in Dublin, Ireland. It was built in 1828, to designs by John Semple (architect), John Semple, and formed as a parish in 1829 from the areas of St. Michan's and St. Paul's. It ...

. He was ordained priest on 24 December 1939. He was the clerical vicar at

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 ( ...

and then Dean's Vicar at St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin until 1944. He was then

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Christ Church, Leeson Park, Dublin until he became the Dean of St Patrick's.

Episcopal ministry

Armstrong served as

Bishop of Cashel and Waterford The Bishop of Cashel and Waterford (''Full title'': Bishop of Cashel and Emly with Waterford and Lismore) was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Cashel and Waterford; comprising all of County Waterford, the southern part of County ...

from 1968 to 1977,

Bishop of Cashel and Ossory The Bishop of Cashel and Ossory (''Full title'': Bishop of Cashel, Waterford and Lismore with Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin) is the Ordinary of the United Diocese of Cashel, Waterford and Lismore with Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin in the Church of ...

from 1977 to 1980. His translation to the See of Armagh in 1980 catapulted him into the fraught world of Northern Irish politics, a deteriorating security situation and the heightened community tensions of the Hunger Strikes and later still, the

Anglo-Irish Agreement The Anglo-Irish Agreement was a 1985 treaty between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland which aimed to help bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The treaty gave the Irish government an advisory role in Northern Irela ...

. Along with fellow Church of Ireland bishops he regularly met political leaders to offer analysis and informed opinion: government minutes of some of those meetings have now been released. These meetings took place with political leaders in both jurisdictions on the island and Armstrong often led delegations to Dublin for talks. He formed such a warm and effective working relationship with his Armagh neighbour Cardinal

Tomas O'Fiach Tomas may refer to: People * Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name * Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name * Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name * Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian su ...

that when he announced his retirement, it was recorded his successor

Robin Eames Robert Henry Alexander Eames, Baron Eames, (born 27 April 1936) is an Anglican bishop and life peer, who served as Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from 1986 to 2006. Early life and education Eames was born in 1936, the son ...

was regarded - by comparison - as a "cold fish". He retired in February 1986 at the age of 70 and spent his short retirement in Skerries, Co. Dublin. He died in July 1987.

References

1915 births Anglican archbishops of Armagh People educated at the Belfast Royal Academy Alumni of Trinity College Dublin 20th-century Anglican archbishops in Ireland Deans of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Bishops of Cashel and Ossory Bishops of Cashel and Waterford 1987 deaths {{Ireland-Anglican-bishop-stub