Bishop O’Beirne and his Church-Building Programme: The Church of Ireland and Pre-Reformation Christianity

Abstract

Thomas O’Beirne (1747–1823) was Church of Ireland bishop of Meath in the late 1790s and early 1800s. A convert from Catholicism who nevertheless cultivated good relations with Catholics (including the local Catholic bishop), O’Beirne’s energetic church-building and refurbishing programme is a neglected aspect of his episcopal career. In this chapter, Caroline Gallagher (whose doctoral thesis examines that programme in detail) discusses its significance in light of attitudes to the religious past. It is argued that while Archbishop William Magee (whose tenure as archbishop of Dublin, 1822–31, began as O’Beirne’s was ending) would use church architectural styles in his archdiocese to suggest a connection between the contemporary Church of Ireland and the era of St Patrick, O’Beirne’s churches signalled that connection by occupying pre-Reformation sites. This sent out its own message in the context of the Church of Ireland’s growing understanding of its mission in Ireland.