History of Roman Catholicism in Ireland - Reformation and Beyond - Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I

At the time of Elizabeth I's accession, all Ireland was Catholic. Fearing Ireland's Catholicism and strategic value for her enemies, Elizabeth consolidated English power in Ireland. The Anglo-Normans and the Gaels fought as one against the English but with little success. All but two of the Irish bishops accepted the Elizabethan Settlement, although the vast majority of priests and the church membership remained Roman Catholic. The Church of Ireland claims apostolic succession because of the continuity of consecration has been preserved in the episcopal hierarchy; however, this claim is disputed by the Roman Catholic Church.

The established church in Ireland underwent a period of more radical Calvinist doctrine than occurred in England. James Ussher (later Archbishop of Armagh) authored the Irish Articles, adopted in 1615. In 1634, the Irish Convocation adopted the English Thirty-Nine Articles alongside the Irish Articles. After the Restoration of 1660, it seems that the Thirty-Nine Articles took precedence; they remain the official doctrine of the Church of Ireland even after disestablishment.

The English-speaking minority mostly adhered to the Church of Ireland or to Presbyterianism, while the Irish-speaking majority remained faithful to the Latin liturgy of Roman Catholicism, which remained the majority denomination in Ireland. From this period on, sectarian conflict became a recurrent theme in Irish history.