The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the monastic settlement originally founded at Daire Calgach and later known as Daire Colm Cille, Anglicised as Derry. In the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

it remains a separate title, but in the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the sec ...

it has been united with another bishopric.

History

At the

Synod of Ráth Breasail The Synod of Ráth Breasail (also known as Rathbreasail) ( Irish: ''Sionad Ráth Bhreasail'') was an Irish Catholic church council which took place in Ireland in 1111. It marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and ...

in 1111 Ireland was divided up into ecclesiastical dioceses based on territorial units. One of these was for the Cenel Conaill who could have its Episcopal see either at Raphoe or Derry. At the

Synod of Kells The Synod of Kells (, ) took place in 1152, under the presidency of Giovanni Cardinal Paparoni, and continued the process begun at the Synod of Ráth Breasail (1111) of reforming the Irish church. The sessions were divided between the abbeys o ...

in 1152 however Derry and the Inishowen peninsula were moved from the diocese of the Cenel Conaill to that of the Cenel Eogain who controlled both areas. Derry was a

Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is tod ...

n establishment founded by Columba who was a prince of the Cenel Conaill. It opposed many of the church reforms as well as being made part of the diocese of the Cenel Eogain. As a compromise the foundation of Derry was essentially made a diocese of its own within that of the Cenel Eogain and its comarb styled as the bishop of Derry.Lawlor, H.J., ''The Genesis of the Dioceses of Derry and Raphoe'', The Irish Church Quarterly, Vol. 10, No. 39 (Jul., 1917), pp. 219-236 (18 pages) In regards to the diocese of the Cenel Eogain, its see was at Rathlowry (

Maghera Maghera (pronounced , ) is a small town at the foot of the Glenshane Pass in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Its population was 4,220 in the 2011 Census, increasing from 3,711 in the 2001 Census. It is situated within Mid-Ulster Distri ...

), with the diocese in Latin became known as ''Rathlurensis'' and its bishop as ''Episcopis Rathlurensis''. In 1246 its bishop, Germanus O'Carolan, obtained sanction from

Pope Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV ( la, Innocentius IV; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universitie ...

to have the see transferred to Derry due to the remoteness of Rathlowry. By this stage the Columban foundation at Derry had become extinct and was replaced by the Augustinian Order. From 1254 the diocese became known as Derry and the bishop of the Cenel Eogain was styled as the bishop of Derry. Following the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, there are parallel

apostolic succession Apostolic succession is the method whereby the ministry of the Christian Church is held to be derived from the apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been associated with a claim that the succession is through a series of bisho ...

s. In the

, Derry continued a separate see until 1834 when it amalgamated with

Raphoe Raphoe ( ; ) is a historical village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was later divided into the baronies of R ...

and became the united bishopric of Derry and Raphoe.Fryde, ibid., pp. 387-388 In the

, the title is still a separate bishopric. On 25 February 2014, Pope Francis appointed the then auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor – Most Reverend Donal McKeown – as the new Bishop of Derry. He was installed as Bishop of Derry on Sunday 6 April 2014 in Saint Eugene's Cathedral Derry.http://www.derryjournal.com/news/local-news/donal-mckeown-installed-as-bishop-of-derry-1-5984452

Pre-Reformation bishops

;Bishops of the diocese of Cinél nEógain ;Pre-Reformation Bishops of Derry

Post-Reformation bishops

Church of Ireland succession

Roman Catholic succession

Notes

* These two Ua Brolcháin bishops were members of the Cenél Feredaig, who were closely associated with Derry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Derry, Bishop Of Roman Catholic Diocese of Derry Religion in County Londonderry Religion in County Tyrone Lists of Irish bishops and archbishops