Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe
| Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe Church of Ireland | |
 | |
|---|---|
| Bishop: | Michael Burrows |
| Cathedral: | St Mary's Cathedral, Tuam St Mary's Cathedral, Limerick Killaloe Cathedral Clonfert Cathedral Killala Cathedral |
| Organisation | |
| No. of parishes: | 25 |
| No. of churches: | 89 |
| Details | |
| Website: | tlk.ie |
The Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe is a diocese of the Church of Ireland that is covers much of the west of Ireland, in Connaught and Munster.[1] The diocese was formed by a merger of the former Diocese of Tuam, Killala and Achonry and the former Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe in 2022, after the retirement of the separate dioceses' bishops and the appointment of Michael Burrows as bishop of the united diocese.[2] It is in the ecclesiastical Province of Dublin. The largest diocese by area in the Church of Ireland, it covers all of counties Clare, Galway, Kerry, Limerick and Mayo, plus parts of counties Cork, Sligo, Roscommon, Offaly, Laois and Tipperary.
Overview and history
Under King Henry VIII, the Church in Ireland was separated from Rome and the Reformation applies as in England. The substantial majority of the population remained adherent to Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. The English-speaking minority mostly adhered to the Church of Ireland.
On 13 April 1834, the diocese of Killala and Achonry was united to the Archdiocese of Tuam. On the death of Archbishop Trench of Tuam in 1839, the Province of Tuam was united to the Province of Armagh and the see ceased to be an archbishopric and became a bishopric with Thomas Plunket becoming the first bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry.[3] Meanwhile, in 1833, the two provinces of Dublin and Cashel were merged. Over the centuries, a number of dioceses were merged (see below), in view of declining membership. It is for this reason that the united diocese has five cathedrals.
In 2019, the Church of Ireland General Synod agreed to amalgamate the two dioceses upon the retirement of their incumbent bishops.[2] These retirements took place in 2021, and in 2022, Burrows was elected as the first bishop of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe. He finished his service in the Diocese of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory in April 2022 and was installed in the united diocese that same month.[4] Despite being the largest single diocese in area, the two prior dioceses each saw the lowest average Sunday attendance of any Church of Ireland dioceses with just 612 in attendance in Tuam, Killala and Achonry and 1,205 in attendance in Limerick and Killaloe, according to the most recently available Church of Ireland census data. The united diocese's attendance of 1,817 makes it the least-attended diocese in the Church of Ireland after Meath and Kildare.[5]
Cathedrals
- St. Mary's Cathedral, Tuam
- St. Patrick's Cathedral, Killala.[6]
- St Mary's Cathedral, Limerick,[7]
- St Flannan's Cathedral, Killaloe,[8]
- St Brendan's Cathedral, Clonfert.[9]
Five others are in ruins or no longer exist:
- St Brendan's Cathedral, Ardfert was destroyed by fire in 1641
- St Alibeus' Cathedral, Emly was demolished in 1877.[9]
- Kilmacduagh cathedral, which is partly in ruins
- Aghadoe Cathedral, which is partly in ruins
- Kilfenora Cathedral, which is partly in ruins, dates from the 12th century.
St Crumnathy's Cathedral, Achonry was deconsecrated in 1998 and is now used for ecumenical events.[10]
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An engraving of St Mary's Cathedral, Tuam. -
St Mary's Cathedral, Limerick -
Killaloe Cathedral -
St Brendan's Cathedral, Clonfert -
St. Brendan's Cathedral, Ardfert -
St. Fachnan's Cathedral, Kilfenora
Bishops
Bishops of Tuam, Killala and Achonry
- The Hon. Thomas Plunket (1839–1866)
- The Hon. Charles Brodrick Bernard (1867–1890)
- James O'Sullivan (1890–1913)
- The Hon. Benjamin John Plunket (1913–1919)
- Arthur Edwin Ross (1920–1923)
- John Orr (192–1927)
- John Mason Harden (1928–1931)
- William Hardy Holmes (1932–1938)
- John Winthrop Crozier (1939–1957)
- Arthur Hamilton Butler (1958–1969)
- John Coote Duggan (1970–1985)
- John Robert Winder Neill (1986–1997)
- Richard Crosbie Aitken Henderson (1998–2011)
- Patrick William Rooke (2011–2021)
Bishops of Limerick and Killaloe
- Edwin Owen (1976–1981)
- Walton Newcombe Francis Empey (1981–1985)
- Edward Flewett Darling (1985–2000)
- Michael Hugh Gunton Mayes (2000–2008)
- Trevor Williams (2008–2014)
- Kenneth Kearon (2015–2021)
Bishops of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe
- Michael Burrows (2022–present)
Outside links
References
- ↑ "United Dioceses of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe". https://www.ireland.anglican.org/find-a-church/diocese/united-dioceses-of-tuam-limerick-and-killaloe.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Amalgamation of Irish dioceses of Tuam and Limerick likely by 2022". Anglican Ink. 21 June 2021. https://anglican.ink/2021/06/19/amalgamation-of-irish-dioceses-of-tuam-and-limerick-likely-by-2022/.
- ↑ Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (Third Edition, revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 407. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
- ↑ "Bishop's Final Letter in CFO – with Great Gratitude And Affection". Diocese of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory. 29 March 2022. https://cashel.anglican.org/bishops-final-letter-in-cfo-with-great-gratitude-and-affection/.
- ↑ "Bill No. 7 - Explanatory Memorandum". Journal of the First Ordinary Session of the Fiftieth General Synod of the Church of Ireland: lv. 2018. https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Synod/2018/Journal2018.pdf. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ↑ "The Cathedral Churches of Tuam, Killala and Achonry". Church of Ireland. http://www.ireland.anglican.org/index.php?do=information&id=110.
- ↑ St Mary's Cathedral, Limerick. Retrieved on 9 January 2009.
- ↑ St Flannan's Cathedral, Killaloe. Retrieved on 9 January 2009.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Cathedral Churches of Limerick and Killaloe. Retrieved on 9 January 2009.
- ↑ "Ecumenical Carol Service in St Crumnathy's Cathedral, Achonry". Church of Ireland. http://www.ireland.anglican.org/index.php?do=news&newsid=56.