Bishop Kenneth Kearon | ||
 | ||
Ecclesiastical province Anglican Province of Dublin Cathedrals St Mary's Cathedral, Limerick, Killaloe Cathedral, Clonfert Cathedral | ||
The Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe (Full title: The United Dioceses of Limerick, Ardfert, Aghadoe, Killaloe, Kilfenora, Clonfert, Kilmacduagh and Emly) is a diocese of the Church of Ireland that is located in mid-western Ireland. The diocese was formed by a merger of neighbouring dioceses in 1976. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. It is one of the twelve Church of Ireland dioceses that cover the whole of Ireland. The diocese covers all of counties Limerick, Kerry and Clare, plus parts of counties Galway, Cork and Tipperary.
Contents
The current bishop is Kenneth Kearon, who was to be consecrated in January 2015. The previous bishop was Trevor Williams who was elected on 6 May 2008 and consecrated at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin on 11 July 2008.
Overview and history
When the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church broke communion, it was established by the state as the established church. Later, by decree of the Irish Parliament, the Church of Ireland became the independent State Church of the Kingdom of Ireland. It assumed possession of most Church property (and so retained a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population remained faithful 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 or to Presbyterianism. 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 three cathedrals.
Predecessor dioceses
The present united diocese dates from 1976, the end result of a number of mergers of sees beginning in the seventeenth century:
Cathedrals
Five others are in ruins or no longer exist:
Parish Groups
The diocese is divided into a number of parish groups.