Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland

1st January, 2021 was the 150th anniversary of the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland and to explain the background of this significant event in the Church the Association for Promoting Christian Knowledge (APCK) produced a very informative leaflet. APCK is linked to the Church of Ireland but is independent from it and is the publisher of a series of pamphlets which provide a Church of Ireland perspective on important issues of belief and practice.

Follow this link to the APCK website - APCK

The Church of Ireland was disestablished by the Irish Church Act of 1869. No longer would it be the State Church, no longer would the monarch appoint the bishops, who no longer would have seats in Parliament. Furthermore, not only was the Church disestablished, it was also disendowed of much of its property and other assets. The Irish Church Act became law on 26 July 1869 but it was recognised that it would take some time to make the necessary arrangements for its future administration so it was 1st January, 1871 when disestablishment finally took effect. This was only two and a half years after the consecration of St Bride’s on 9th June, 1868.

Follow this link to read the APCK leaflet about disestablishment - Disestablishment 1871