Richard Lionel Clarke (born 25 June 1949) is a retired Irish

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

bishop and author. From 2012 to 2020, he served as the

Archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

and

Primate of All Ireland The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in t ...

: as such, he was the senior cleric 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 ...

Early life and education

Clarke was born on 25 June 1949 in

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 ...

, Ireland. He was educated at Drumcondra National School and at Wesley College, a fee-paying

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

in Dublin. He attended

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

(

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

) and

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

( B.D.) where he studied history and theology.

Ordained ministry

Clarke was ordained a deacon in 1975 and priest in 1976, serving as a curate in

Holywood, County Down Holywood ( ) (Irish: ''Ard Mhic Nasca'', meaning 'Height of the Son of Nasca'. Latin: ''Sanctus Boscus'', meaning 'Holy Wood') is a town in the metropolitan area of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a civil parish and townland of 7 ...

for two years from 1975–77 and again as a curate at St Bartholomew's with Christ Church, Leeson Park, Dublin from 1977–79, before serving as Dean of Residence at

for five years. Clarke travelled thence to Bandon,

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, where he served as rector until 1993 when he was appointed

Dean of Cork Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral ( ga, Ardeaglais Naomh Fionnbarra) is a Gothic Revival three-spire Church of Ireland cathedral in the city of Cork. It is located on the south bank of the River Lee and dedicated to Finbarr of Cork, patron saint of ...

Episcopal ministry

Clarke was elected and consecrated to the bishopric of Meath and Kildare in 1996. In 2012, he was elected, in succession to Alan Harper, to be the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. His translation to Armagh took effect on 15 December 2012, on which date he also was enthroned at St Patrick's Cathedral.Church of Ireland: Clarke elected as Archbishop
ireland.anglican.org; accessed 27 July 2017. On 2 November 2019, during his presidential address to Armagh Diocesan Synod, Clarke announced that he would retire on 2 February 2020. The

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...

, the Most Reverend Dr

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, paid tribute to Clarke after the announcement, saying, "Archbishop Clarke has dedicated his life to the service of God and the church."

Personal life

Clarke married Linda Margaret Thompson in 1975: she died in 2009. He has two children and three grandchildren, as of 2017.

Selected works

Clarke is the author of ''And Is It True?'' (2000), ''The Unharmonious Blacksmith'' (2002), ''A Whisper of God'' (2006), and ''Shouldering the Lamb: Reflections on an Icon'' (2017).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Richard 1949 births Living people Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Alumni of the Theological Department of King's College London Anglican archbishops of Armagh Bishops of Meath and Kildare Deans of Cork 20th-century Anglican bishops in Ireland 21st-century Anglican bishops in Ireland 21st-century Anglican archbishops People educated at Wesley College, Dublin Irish Anglican archbishops