The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland is a Presbyterian denomination in Ireland.
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History
The denomination's roots date back to the 17th-century Plantation of Ulster by Scots Presbyterian settlers. When the Revolution Settlement was entered into in 1690 following the victory of William III in the Williamite War, a minority of Presbyterians refused to subscribe, claiming its failure to specifically recognise the kingship of Jesus Christ was a departure from the Solemn League and Covenant of 1643. These dissenters, or Covenanters, began to hold separate meetings from the mainstream Presbyterians. The Ulster branch of the denomination was dependent on visits from Scottish ministers until 1757.
A separate Irish presbytery was organised in April 1763, and its synod was constituted at Cullybackey on 1 May 1811.
Distribution
The church currently has forty-three congregations, of which thirty-five are located in Northern Ireland; the remaining eight are located in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2011, its total communicant membership is 1,952. The distribution of Reformed Presbyterians accords with the distribution of the Ulster Scots, with most congregations based in Counties Antrim, Londonderry and Down. Several new congregations have, however, been formed recently in the Belfast area, along with new fellowships in Galway and Dublin.