2020 Conference to mark C of I Disestablishment

A half–day Royal Irish Academy conference produced in partnership with the Church of Ireland as part of the Church’s National Programme commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland will be held on February 27, 2020.

1.15pm–6pm at Academy House, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Registration with refreshments is at 1.15pm, with the conference commencing at 1.50pm.

Concept

The conference will commence with an introduction to and discussion of the concepts of ‘Establishment’ and ‘Disestablishment’ and the transition between the two, to contextualise the subject and the subsequent panel discussions.

Consequences: the first hundred years 1869–1969

While the legislative act of Disestablishment was an event, the process of adapting the newly Disestablished Church to the social, political and cultural changes of late 19th century Ireland was much more complex. Panel two’s discussion of the hundred years between 1869–1969 will include themes such as the Church of Ireland and politics; church life, organisations and worship; cross–border factors, church–state relations; contributions to Irish life; the ecumenical landscape; and the Church of Ireland and the wider world.

Challenges: since 1969

Panel three will focus on the church–state interface since 1969 and looking to the future, both North and South, with particular emphasis on the contributions and challenges of the Church of Ireland. The discussion will cover themes such as education; the roles of church and state and how they relate to each other; health; and secularisation.

PROGRAMME

13:15 REGISTRATION with tea/coffee/refreshments
13:50 WELCOME
Professor Michael Peter Kennedy, President. Royal Irish Academy
Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough

14:00 PANEL ONE
CONCEPT
An outline of the concepts of establishment and its meaning, disestablishment and its implications, and the transition between the two.
Chair: Professor Raymond Gillespie, MRIA (Maynooth University)
Panellists: Professor Jacqueline Hill, MRIA (Maynooth University) •
Professor Alvin Jackson, MRIA (The University of Edinburgh) 14:00 ‘Establishment’, Professor Hill
14:10 ‘Disestablishment’, Professor Jackson
14:20 Panel discussion

15:10 PANEL TWO
CONSEQUENCES: THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS, 1869–1969
While the legislative act of Disestablishment was an event, the process of adapting the newly Disestablished Church to the social, political and cultural changes of late 19th century Ireland was much more complex. This panel discussion deals with that process. Chair: Revd Trevor Sargent (Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise)
Panellists: Dr Marie Coleman (Queen’s University Belfast) • Dr Ian d’Alton (Trinity College Dublin) • Professor Alan Ford (The University of Nottingham) • Dr Miriam Moffitt (St Patrick’s College, Maynooth)
16:20 TEA BREAK

16:50 PANEL THREE
CHALLENGES: SINCE 1969
1969 marked a century of Disestablishment. This session will assess developments since 1969 and the Church’s role in and contribution to the island’s future.
Invited chair: Ms Áine Lawlor, journalist and broadcaster
Panellists: Senator Ivana Bacik • Revd Professor Anne Lodge (Dublin City University) Dr Martin Mansergh, MRIA • Dr Andrew Pierce (Trinity College Dublin)
18:00 CLOSING
Most Revd Dr Richard Clarke, Archbishop of Armagh
RECEPTION

Further information to book tickets at –

[https://www.ireland.anglican.org/news/8953/church-of-ireland-disestablishment-and?utm\_medium=email&utm\_campaign=Church%20of%20Ireland%20E-bulletin%20August%202019&utm\_content=Church%20of%20Ireland%20E-bulletin%20August%202019+CID\_b8de72b1e96ca65e1a3df372e8f34a7e&utm\_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm\_term=Advance%20notice]