Unitarian Church in Ireland

Plaque outside the Unitarian Church on St Stephen's Green, Dublin

The Unitarian Church in Ireland presently consists of two Congregations, Dublin and Cork, part of the Synod of Munster, in the Republic of Ireland, which has itself been part of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland since 1935. Some congregations remain closely associated with the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches. These churches would abide by the traditional Unitarian principles of Freedom, Reason, and Tolerance.

## History

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Unitarianism in Ireland dates back to the 1600s with early recorded communities in Dublin and Bandon, Co. Cork, it has its roots in the Puritan Non-Conformist / Dissenters who did not subscribe to established church doctrines, like Westminster Confession. Unitarianism was illegal up until 1813.[1] Thomas Emlyn and Joseph Boyse who ministered in Wood Street, Dublin, were two non-conformist ministers instrumental in Unitarianism developing in Ireland. In 1809 the Synod of Munster was founded when the non-subscribing presbyteries Dublin and others in the South of Ireland came together. In 1830 the Irish Unitarian Society (for the Diffusion of Christian Knowledge) now the Irish Unitarian Christian Society was formed. Among its founders was Rev. Dr. James Armstrong, who promoted Unitarianism particularly in the South of Ireland by publishing books and other works. In 1835 the Association of Non-Subscribing Presbyteries was formed.[2] In 1910 the Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland was formally established with the merger of the Antrim Presbytery and Remonstrant Synod of Ulster. In 1935 the Unitarian Synod of Munster joined the Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland.

### Former communities and churches

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Presbyterian Church, Strand Street from an illustration in 1821. The building still stands and is today operating as a gay bar 2 Strand Street.

[citation needed]

In the past there were Unitarian communities in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, as early as 1666, who met from 1789 to 1924 at the Unitarian Chapel (built in 1838)[3] in Wellington Street,[4] and Bandon, as early as the 1600s but met at the Unitarian Presbyterian Church, built by Rev. Edward King, sometimes called The Old Preaching House or The Seekers Church, in Bandon, from 1813 to 1908. It became a bakery and more recently an agricultural supplies store. There were also communities in Tipperary Town and a Presbyterian (Unitarian) Church in Fethard.

Prior to being based in Stephens Green, Unitarians had premises in Wood Street which moved to (Great) Strand Street in 1764, Cook Street joined Strand Street in 1787, and New Row which moved to Eustace Street in Dublin, the Eustace Street and Strand Street Congregations merged to form the new Dublin Unitarian Church on Stephens Green.[5]

## Congregations and churches

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### Synod of Munster

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The Synod of Munster consists of five churches. Currently, only two active church congregations from the Republic of Ireland are operating: the Cork Unitarian church and the Dublin Unitarian church. The Cork and Dublin Unitarian churches produce the monthly magazine Oscailt.[6]

#### Dublin Unitarian Church

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The Dublin Unitarian Church is based on St. Stephen's Green.[7] It is a Gothic styled building started in 1861 and opened in 1863, built by the architect William Henry Lynn of the Belfast company Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon,[8] largely funded by wealthy businessman Thomas Wilson.[9] A stained glass window was donated by the coach building Hutton family. In recent years the church has hosted a variety of events including plays, film screenings, and concerts,[10] and participated in Culture Night. Over 2006 and 2008 the archive of the Dublin Unitarian Church was transferred to the Royal Irish Academy.[11] On Good Friday the Unitarian Church in Dublin hosts a reading out of the names of the victims of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, for Good Friday 2016, the dead of the 1916 Rising were also remembered.[12] Ministers who have ministered at the Church include Rev. D. D. Jeremy, M.A., Rev E. Savell Hicks (1910–1962), Rev Kenneth Wright (1962–1996), Rev Bill Darlison (appointed in 1996) and Rev Bridget Spain who became permanent minister in 2012.

#### Unitarian Church Cork

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The Unitarian Church in Cork has a history that stretches back for more than three hundred years. Since 1717 the congregation has met in the Church in Princes Street, built between 1710 and 1717,[13] after it outgrew its premises in South Main Street.[14] As a dissenting chapel without a steeple, it was originally called the Presbyterian Meetinghouse. Unitarianism was not a recognised religious movement until into the 19th century and did not appear on the church's signage until 2004. The Father Mathew Temperance Agreement was signed in this church building in 1839.[15] In recent years the church has hosted plays and concerts[16] and has been venue for the Cork festival and for Culture Night.[17] In 2017 the church celebrated its tri-centenary,[15] and has undergone some repairs for this celebration.[18] On 26 January 2017 President Michael D. Higgins visited the church to mark its tercentenary year.[19] On 24 February 2017 Rev Mike O'Sullivan was ordained and installed as minister of the church. He became the first Cork minister in almost 200 years. Following his appointment restoration began on the building. The entrance, main hall and South Chapel are now restored. Services are held every Sunday at 11 am. On Saturday 30 September a service of Thanksgiving was held to mark the 300th anniversary of the opening of the church. The service was led by the Moderator of the synod Rev Bridget Spain along with clergy from the synod. The sermon was preached by Rev Mike O 'Sullivan. The service was attended by the Deputy Lord Mayor and the Ven. Adrian Wilkinson representing the Church of Ireland diocese of Cork and Ross. The church building was extensively fire damaged on 29 January 2024[20] and since then meetings have been held online. Due to a lack of operational funds, Rev. Mike O Sullivan was made redundant by the Unitarian Church Cork on October 16th 2024, having taken his last service the previous Sunday. As a result Rev. O Sullivan took the decision to end his membership of and association with the NSPCI.

#### Limerick Unitarian Fellowship

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The Limerick Unitarian Fellowship was formed in 2014 with the inaugural meeting taking place on 23 February. Meetings were held on the last Sunday of every month at the Limerick School Project[21][22] in the city. Meetings were subsequently held at the inter-religious Contemplative Centre in the grounds of the University of Limerick. The fellowship effectively disbanded on 31 August 2019 when it was announced on social media that meetings would be suspended indefinitely due to lack of attendees.

### Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland

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The Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland consists of three Presbyteries, the Presbytery of Antrim with 17 churches, the Synod of Munster with 4 churches and the Presbytery of Bangor with 11 churches.[23]

## Famous Irish Unitarians

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* George Allman \- botany and natural history professor
* Rev. Dr. James Armstrong DD MRIA, minister in Strand Street
* Rev. William Bruce \- Presbyterian(Unitarian) minister, philosopher and educator
* Richard Dowden - Lord Mayor of Cork; member of the Bandon, and Cork Congregations, and served as treasurer
* William Hamilton Drummond \- minister in Strand Street Dublin (1819–1859)
* William Hazlitt, a Unitarian minister and author, and the father of the Romantic essayist and social commentator of the same name.
* Rev. Thomas Dix Hincks, founder of the Royal Cork Institution
* Rev. William Hincks (son of Thomas) - minister, theologian, professor of natural history in Cork and Toronto, edited Unitarian magazine The Inquirer[24]
* Rev. Dr. John Leland ministered in New Row and Eustace Street for 50 years, (1716–1766).
* Daniel Maclise RA - artist; was a member of the Cork Congregation
* Archibald Hamilton Rowan \- United Irishman
* Rev. Dr. Samuel Winter \- Provost of Trinity College Dublin; first pastor to the New Row congregation[25]

## References

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1. ^ Unitarianism as faith is unfamiliar to most people by Rev. Bridget Spain, The Irish Times, Jun 23, 2013.
2. ^ Timeline Presbyterian History of Ireland
3. ^ Detached T-plan former Unitarian church Buildings of Ireland.
4. ^ Unitarians hope to rebuild links Irish Times, August 11, 1999.
5. ^ Unitarianism in Ireland RIA Dublin Unitarian Collection
6. ^ Oscailt \- The monthly magazine for Cork and Dublin Unitarian Churches.
7. ^ Unitarian Church at St Stephens Green Archiseek.com .
8. ^ "Obituary: W. H. Lynn". Irish Builder and Engineer. Dublin. 1915. quoted in "Dublin Unitarian Church | The St Stephen's Green Church". Retrieved 27 December 2014.
9. ^ Church Building
10. ^ The Unitarian Church Venues, Aiken Promotions.
11. ^ Dublin Unitarian Collection Royal Irish Academy.
12. ^ Dead of Easter week to be remembered at good friday by Patsy McGarry, Irish Times, Mar 21, 2016.
13. ^ Religious Buildings Cork Cork Heritage Open Day
14. ^ Any Salvation for Cork Church by Brian O'Connell, Irish Times, November 8, 2011.
15. ^ a b Plans revealed for 300th anniversary of one of Cork's oldest churches by Eoin English, Irish Examiner, January 17, 2017.
16. ^ Unitarian Church Princes Street Cork www.corkgigs.com
17. ^ Unitarian Church Culture Night 2016
18. ^ Proposed Work Cork Oscailt Magazine, Volume 11, No. 5., May 2015.
19. ^ President visits Prince's Street Unitarian Church to mark its tercentenary year www.president.ie
20. ^ Sheehy, Mairead (2024-01-29). "'The work of the church is larger than the building': 'Extensive' damage done following Cork fire". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
21. ^ Spiritual Community to hold service in the city by Alan Jaques, www.limerickpost.ie, February 21, 2014.
22. ^ Limerick Unitarians www.churchomania.com
23. ^ Non Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland
24. ^ Our History \- Inquirer magazine.
25. ^ 'The Christian reformer; or, Unitarian magazine and review' ed. by R. Aspland.

## External links

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* Dublin Unitarian Church
* Cork Unitarian Church

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