The Church of Ireland General Synod 2026 was held in the Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle, Co Down from Thursday, 7th May to Saturday, 9th May 2026. For the first time since 2019 members of Synod gathered in person for three full days, concluding on Saturday. In recent years the third day has taken place online.
The beginning of the General Synod was marked as every year with a service, this time in the Synod Hall at the hotel. The preacher was the Bishop of Meath and Kildare, the Most Revd Pat Storey. You can read her sermon in full here.
A total of four Bills have been presented for consideration by the members of General Synod. All bills have passed their first, second, and final stages and were enacted on Saturday morning on the final day of synod. Each Bill is outlined in full in the Bills pamphlet available here.
Helen Arnopp, together with Canon Nicola Halford from the Diocese of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory, proposed Bill No. 2 which sought to to provide clarity and compassion by aligning Constitutional provision and Dignity in Church Life financial provision for when clergy find themselves in a situation where they cannot continue in ministry due to long term ill health. The full report on the Bill can be read here.
This year a total of 12 motions have been received by the Honorary Secretaries of the General Synod. An outline of all motions can be found here.
On Day 1, members of General Synod heard the report of the Church of Ireland Youth Department. On Day 2, the reports of the Representative Church Body, the Board of Education of the General Synod, the Covenant Council, the Standing Committee and the Council for Mission were presented.
On Day 3, the Report of the Pioneer Ministry Council was presented and both, the Very Rev. Nigel Dunne and the Very Rev. Cliff Jeffers spoke on the report. The report of the Liturgical Advisory Committee was seconded by the Very Rev. Susan Green.
Three parishes from the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross were among those recognised in a new competition encouraging churches to take practical steps to reduce carbon emissions, with the winners announced after the close of business on the opening day of General Synod. The successful projects were among the first to receive support through the Buildings Climate Impact Fund, launched earlier this year by the Representative Church Body and Benefact Trust.
The Ven. Andrew Orr, Youghal Union, the Very Rev. Cliff Jeffers, Ross Union, the Most Rev. John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh, and the Rev. Kingsley Sutton, Kilgarriffe Union.
A total fund of £300,000 (around €348,000) was made available to support innovative projects aimed at reducing emissions and encouraging more sustainable practices across the Church of Ireland’s property portfolio of more than 1,000 buildings nationwide. The initiative focused on projects that could deliver long-term impact while also demonstrating creativity, measurable environmental benefits and the potential to inspire other parishes.
Among the award recipients was Ross Union of Parishes, where Leap Church was recognised for the installation of heat pumps and solar slates as part of its efforts to improve energy efficiency and sustainability.
Youghal Union of Parishes was also honoured for work at St Mary’s Collegiate Church, where heated pew cushions are being introduced to provide a more energy-efficient way of keeping worshippers warm while reducing overall heating demand within the church building.
Kilgarriffe Union of Parishes was another successful applicant, with Timoleague Church of the Ascension receiving support for the installation of underfloor heating as part of wider sustainability and energy efficiency improvements.
The projects were praised for demonstrating practical and forward-thinking approaches to environmental responsibility while helping parishes reduce energy use and lower their carbon footprint.
The Diocesan Magazine Committee of the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross has published a special, full-colour edition of the Cork, Cloyne and Ross Diocesan Magazine in the month of May to recognise the long ministry in the Diocese – longer than any bishop in the Diocese since 1617 – of the Right Reverend Dr Paul Colton, who retired on 30th April. In addition a full colour souvenir 16-page supplement of photographs was published.
The cover of the special May edition of the Cork, Cloyne and Ross Diocesan Magazine which features the portrait of Bishop Colton commissioned by the Diocesan Council in 2024 and painted by portrait artist, Jack Hickey.
The chairperson of the Diocesan Magazine Committee, Mrs Dorothy Verplancke said;
We wanted this special edition and photographic supplement to serve not only as a record of Bishop Paul’s remarkable years of ministry among us, but also as an expression of the deep affection and gratitude felt across the Diocese. His episcopate has touched countless lives, communities and parishes, and it felt important to mark that faithfully and beautifully in print.
The Diocesan Magazine eduitor, Mrs Isobel Dunne, said:
It has been a privilege to help bring together reflections and photographs spanning such a significant chapter in the life of the Diocese. Bishop Paul’s ministry has been characterised by warmth, intellectual depth, pastoral care and an extraordinary commitment to the people and places of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. We hope this edition will be something readers return to for many years to come.
Music has always been at the heart of worship in this diocese, and for his farewell service, Bishop Paul Colton chose each piece with particular care. What follows is a selection of the music heard on the day, each accompanied by a short reflection from the Bishop himself, offering insight into why these works matter to him and how they have shaped his ministry over the years.
The St Fin Barre’s Cathedral choir and musicians under the direction of Mr Peter Stobart at the Diocesan Celebration of Easter with the theme ‘The Glory of Easter’. (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
Tuba Tune II – Paul Fey (1998)
Paul Fey’s (1998) Tuba Tune II is a bold and characterful organ work, written very much in the English cathedral tradition. As the title suggests, it showcases the organ’s powerful “tuba” stop, often used for ceremonial occasions, and has become a favourite for processional or festive services, setting a confident and celebratory tone from the outset.
Bishop Paul Colton explains this choice:
This choice was both a forward looking celebration and also a reminiscence.
I recalled deputising at the organ in St Fin Barre’s myself in the 1980s. I often chose to end a Service with C.S. Lang’s ‘Tuba Tune in D Major.’ I love the Tuba (8′) stop on the organ in Cork so, strengthened by these fond memories, I knew it would set the right note of joy for our Easter Celebration.
Separately I had encountered the compositions of the young German organist Paul Fey on YouTube. Throughout my time as bishop I have been keen to encourage young people, particularly in Church music. Based in Leipzig, Paul Fey was born in the months before my election as a bishop and it seemed appropriate to start the Service with a piece composed by a young adult who is just the same age as my 27+ years in the episcopate.
Apart from that I knew that his piece would show off the St Fin Barre’s Cathedral Tuba stop and also the 32′ extension to the Contra Trombone on the pedal which was added during the reconstruction and enhancement of the organ 12 years ago.
Gigue Fugue in G major, BWV 577 – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
This lively and intricate fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach takes its nickname from the dance-like “gigue” rhythm that runs through it. Likely composed during Bach’s earlier years, it combines technical brilliance with a sense of joy and movement, demonstrating his extraordinary ability to weave complex musical lines into something that feels both ordered and exuberant.
‘The explanation for this is simple’ said Bishop Paul:
Bach is an all time favourite. This piece is joyful. This Gigue Fugue was played on the organ in Saint Luke’s Church, Douglas, Cork as an interlude during our marriage Service in 1986. Susan and I will be 40 years married later this year. This choice was my tribute to Susan.
Gloria in excelsis Deo – Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Part of Vivaldi’s well-loved Gloria, this movement bursts with energy and brightness. Written in the early 18th century for the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, where Vivaldi worked, the piece reflects both the vitality of Venetian sacred music and the celebratory nature of the text: a hymn of praise that has resonated across centuries of Christian worship.
Again, a simple reasoning for this choice, said the Bishop:
When I myself was a lay vicar in the early 1980s in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral Choir, this piece (in its entirety on that occasion) was one of the first concerts in which I sang.
Hallelujah Chorus – George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Few pieces are as instantly recognisable as the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. First performed in Dublin in 1742, it has since become synonymous with joy and proclamation. Its repeated “Hallelujah” refrains and grand choral writing give it a sense of both triumph and universality, making it a natural choice for moments of celebration and thanksgiving.
‘This piece was an Easter tradition in Cork when I was in the choir’, explains the Bishop:
The Hallelujah Chorus was a response to the Easter proclamation of the Gospel. It was wonderful. By then I myself was a Diocesan Reader. I remember vividly assisting at the Easter Service in Holy Trinity, Frankfield at 10 a.m., jumping on my motorbike as soon as that Service was over and making it to the Cathedral, late for the start of that Service, but just in time to throw on my choir robes and to slip into the choir stalls to join in singing this response to the Easter Gospel. It seemed like a good choice for our Easter Celebration this year too.
Let All the World in Every Corner Sing – Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
This anthem, setting words by George Herbert, is one of Vaughan Williams’ most joyful contributions to Anglican church music. Written in the 20th century, it combines rhythmic vitality with a strong sense of congregational praise, its recurring refrain “The church with psalms must shout” capturing the expansive and communal nature of worship.
Bishop Colton chose this as the anthem as be had also chosen it for the Service of Enthronement in St Fin Barre’s in April 1999.
Te Deum in B-flat major – Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
Stanford’s Te Deum in B-flat major is one of the most enduring settings of the ancient hymn of praise in the Anglican tradition. Composed in the late 19th century as part of his Service in B-flat, it combines grandeur with clarity, allowing the text to unfold with dignity and strength. Frequently sung at services of thanksgiving and major occasions, it carries a sense of both celebration and continuity, making it especially fitting in the context of a bishop’s farewell.
‘There’s nothing like a ‘Te Deum’, one of the Church’s oldest canticles, to sum up our thanksgiving to God’ said Bishop Paul. ‘That’s why I chose this one.’
He added:
And, to my mind, nurtured on the Anglican choral tradition in an Irish context, there’s nothing quite like Stanford: Charles Villiers Stanford.’
Laudate Dominum – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
This serene and luminous movement from Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore offers a moment of stillness and beauty. Written in 1780, it features a flowing soprano line over gentle choral accompaniment, creating a sense of quiet devotion. Its simplicity and clarity have made it one of Mozart’s most cherished sacred works.
The Bishop comments
I was thrilled that soprano Saoirse Daly agreed to travel home from the UK to sing this beautiful aria, accompanied on the organ by Matthew Breen who played the organ for the entire Service with its demanding array of musical choices.
Who doesn’t like Mozart? Mozart composed this while in Salzburg before moving to Vienna (where Susan and I went on honeymoon). The piece was written for Vespers which seemed apt for this final moment in our Service at that time of the day.
In contrast to the triumphant and joyful proclamations of Easter in my earlier choices, this piece set a more tranquil and reflective mood – a prayerful context for the handing back of the crozier.
But I also chose of it because of confident assurance and invitation that the lyrics set – a parting exhortation from the Scriptures to the Diocese as I took my leave – words from Psalm 117:
Praise the Lord, all nations Laudate Dominum omnes gentes
Praise him, all you peoples Laudate eum, omnes populi
The words on most people’s lips after the Diocesan Celebration of Easter and Farewell to the Bishop in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork on Saturday 18th April 2026 were ‘that was a great send off’ for Bishop Paul Colton. More than 500 people were jammed into the cathedral and, in addition, 426 computers had logged in for the entire Service (with goodness how many viewers at each) to participate online from many parts of the world. Most commented upon afterwards were the sermon preached by the Dean of Southwark, the Very Reverend Dr Mark Oakley, and the magnificent music of the liturgy.
Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork was full for a Diocesan Celebration of Easter with the theme ‘The Glory of Easter’ and the Farewell to the Bishop. (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
The celebrations began 2 hours before the Service with a quarter peal rung on six of the Cathedral’s thirteen bells under the oversight of Tower Captain, Guy St Leger.
Some of the bellringers before the Service with, on the right, Tower Captain, Guy St Leger. (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
The congregation gathered from every parish, chaplaincy, organisation, school and charity in Cork, Cloyne and Ross, as well as from all around Ireland, including family and friends of Paul and Susan Colton. Parishioners and friends from places where the Bishop had previously ministered had travelled to Cork, including from St Paul’s Church, Lisburn, Belfast Cathedral, and Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla in the Diocese of Dublin. Along with wardens and sidespersons from the Cathedral, members of the congregation were greeted by senior students from Ashton School,Bandon Grammar School and Midleton College.
Students from Ashton School, Midleton College and Bandon Grammar School with Bishop Paul Colton before the Service. (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
The last to arrive and to complete the gathering were the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Fergal Dennehy, the Mayor of Cork County, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley, and Minister Jerry Buttimer, T.D.
Following the Farewell Service were (l-r) Minister Jerry Buttimer, T.D., Cllr Mary Linehan Foley (Mayor of Cork County), Cllr Fergal DFennehy (Lord Mayor of Cork), Bishop Colton, Mrs Susan Colton, and Mr Adam Colton. (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
The first procession was of the licensed and commissioned lay workers in the Diocese, together with visiting and diocesan clergy who entered at 3.50 p.m. to the sound of a piece deliberately chosen by the Bishop as, he said, ‘it was composed by Paul Fey from Leipzig, who is only the same age as my episcopate’. It was Tuba Tune II played (as was the organ for the entire Service) by Matthew Breen, Assistant Director of Music at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.
Procession (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
Silence followed and then at 4 p.m. the heaviest of the Cathedral bells, the tenor bell, weighing 1372kg, was rung 27 times – once for each of the completed years of the Bishop’s episcopate. The tenor bell in Cork Cathedral is named ‘Peter’ and bears the inscription ‘Come at my call, serve God all.’ The bellringer tasked with this exacting task was Marcus Calvert who has been a friend of Bishop Paul’s since they were in 2nd Cork (St Fin Barre’s Cathedral) scouts in the early 1970s.
Procession (Gerard McCarthy Photography) More Info Contact Denise Stobart Church of Ireland Diocesan Media and IT Officer, media@corkchurchofireland.com
Bishop Colton’s friend of more than 40 years, Nigel Harris, travelled from England to be the Bishop’s verger. Nigel was Dean’s Verger at Saint Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast from 1986-88, when Bishop Paul also served there, and was Senior Verger at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey, London from 1988 to 2024. Nigel also verged the Bishop at his consecration on 25th March 1999 in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.
Nigel Harris, Verger, pictured with Bishop Paul Colton. (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
Eleven bishops and episcopal ministers were in the procession including Bishop Fintan Gavin (Cork and Ross), Bishop John Buckley (Bishop Emeritus) and Bishop William Crean (Cloyne). Bishop Colton’s fellow Diocesan bishops from the Southern Province were present: Bishop Patricia Storey (Meath and Kildare); Bishop Michael Burrows (Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe) and Bishop Adrian Wilkinson (Cashel, Ferns and Ossory). Bishop Michael Ipgrave ( Lichfield, England), Bishop Johan Dalman (Strängnäs, Sweden) and Bishop Bo-Göran Åstrand (Porvoo, Finland) travelled to be present along with the former Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Richard Clarke. The Right Rev. Dr Sahr Yambasu, former President of the Methodist Church in Ireland and originally from Sierra Leone to which Cork, Cloyne and Ross is currently linked in a diocesan project – Liloma – through Christian Aid and the Bishops’ Appeal, also attended.
Photographed before the the Farewell Service were (l-r) the Right Rev. Dr Sahr Yambasu, the Right Rev. Dr.Johan Dalman (Diocese of Strängnäs), the Most Rev. Patricia Storey (Diocese of Meath and Kildare), the Right Rev. Dr. Bo-Göran Åstrand (Diocese of Porvoo), Bishop Paul Colton, the Right Rev. Dr. Michael Ipgrave (Diocese of Lichfield), the Right Rev. Adrian Wilkinson (Diocese of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory) and the Right Rev. Dr Richard Clarke (former Archbishop of Armagh). (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
Accompanying the Bishop in his procession were the Diocesan legal team: Diocesan Registrar – John C. Jermyn, Diocesan Solicitor – Carol Jermyn, and the Chancellor of the Diocese, Lyndon MacCann, S.C.
The processional hymn – O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness – was chosen by the Bishop because, like him, the hymnwriter, John S.B. Maunsell, was born in Derry. All of the music, chosen by the Bishop in consultation with Mr Peter Stobart, Director of Music at St Fin Barre’s, had particular resonances such as Gloria by Vivaldi (the first concert Bishop Paul ever took part in at St Fin Barre’s), Gigue Fugue in G major BWV 577 by J.S. Bach (played at the Colton’s wedding nearly 40 years ago) and Antiphon by Ralph Vaughan Williams, which was sung at his enthronement in St Fin Barre’s in 1999. Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus followed the reading of the Gospel, recalling that traditional response to the Easter Gospel in St Fin Barre’s in the late 1970s and 1980s. In addition to the organ played by Matthew Breen, there were cymbals, trumpeters (Mark O’Keeffe, Eoin Allen and Heather Nash) and timpani played by Siobhán O’Donnell. The high point of the Service was the singing of Te Deum Laudamus in B-Flat major, op.10 by Charles Villiers Stanford.
The choir and clergy at the Farewell Service for Bishop Paul Colton (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
Taking part were the Archdeacon of Cork, Cloyne and Ross (the Venerable Andrew Orr), the three deans from Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Very Reverend Nigel Dunne (Cork), the Very Reverend Susan Green (Cloyne) and the Very Reverend Cliff Jeffers (Ross. The readers were Hilda Connolly (Diocesan Youth Officer) and Richard Godsil (Chairperson of the See House Committee). The deacon who read the Gospel was the Reverend Jean Taylor, one of two ordained at the ordination in the Cathedral in 2025. Youth leaders Nathan Kingston and Olwen Buckley led an Easter Act of Commitment and the prayers of the people were led by six young people from the three second level schools in the Diocese.
In his sermon, the Dean of Southwark, the Very Reverend Dr Mark Oakley spoke about Bishop Colton as a Bishop who ‘put his crozier down deep into the earth in Cork, Cloyne and Ross so that he might keep himself so still, so rooted, so in tune with life and folk here, and in harmony with the gospel, with a brightness and twinkle of eye and a ready wisdom, that we would learn to trust him as shepherd, pastor, teacher, friend.’
The Very Reverend Dr Mark Oakley, Dean fo Southwark was the preached. (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
Speaking about the exceptional length of the bishop’s episcopate in the one Diocese, Dean Oakley said:
Some can bear all this for a few years and then start dreaming of Saga holidays. Bishop Paul Colton is the longest-serving bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross since bishop William Lyon in 1617 and also the longest serving bishop still in office in the Anglican churches of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. It is a remarkable term of office, and often costly, because like all of us, bishops bruise easily too, though you can’t see because their shirts are purple, but this today is a thanksgiving for an extraordinary and grace-sustained commitment to the office and work of a bishop in God’s universal and local church. In a world in which so many leaders want to be examples of power, we thank God instead today for the power of example.
Dean Oakley described the road to Emmaus appearance of the risen Christ as ‘the heartland of a bishop’s ministry’. He said:
And, hearing that Gospel of Resurrection, just now, we see that the heartland of a bishop’s ministry is to reflect the Emmaus Christ – to be a companion on the road, to open the scriptures, to break the bread, to help us recognise Christ amongst us in the stranger and the other, and to uphold the mystery of faith, keeping the odd in God, disturbing any churchy jaundice en route like those two disappointed sad plodders who don’t believe what the women have told them, subverting that culture of grievance and moan that can set in when we stop being attentive to love, and thankful for the gift of life, disturbing any culture of contempt with the unarmed and disarming love of Christ that makes hearts resurrect and burn with gratitude within. The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. That’s where resurrection must always begin.
After the final hymn in the Easter Celebration, there was a pause for speeches and presentations overseen by the Archdeacon. The Dean of Cork spoke on behalf of the clergy and Ms Helen Arnopp spoke on behalf of the lay people. Presentations were made. A particularly poignant gift was also presented to the Bishop by the Dean of Ross. Crafted by Karl Shorten, father of ordinand Keelan Shorten – friend of Susan and Paul Colton – who died tragically last October, it was made from timber from each of the three dioceses encompassing carvings of the three cathedrals. Among those in the congregation as guests of the Bishop were some of those to whom he had had a particular ministry in the midst of their very public tragedies.
The final part of the Service was the farewell to the Bishop which had been written especially by Canon Jeremy Haselock, friend of the Bishop, who was Vice-Dean of Norwich Cathedral, and also a former member of the Church of England’s Liturgical Commission. Bishop Colton, himself, devised the final act of handing over the Crozier (his pastoral staff). While soprano soloist, Saoirse Daly, with the choir, sang Laudate Dominum by Mozart a small procession of people from the Diocese made its way from the West Door to the sanctuary where the Bishop awaited them after the final blessing.
Soprano Soloist, Saoirse Daly, with St Fin Barre’s Cathedral Choir diercted by Mr Peter Stobart and Accompanied by Mr Matthew Breen sand Laudate Dominum during the return of the Crozier. (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
Bishop Paul handed his crozier (pastoral staff) to two young people from the Diocese he confirmed: John and Niamh (both of whom had also been pupils of Susan Colton). They brought the crozier and passed it to Elizabeth Gleasure and Darragh Coombes who are two youth leaders from the Diocese. They in turn handed it to the Diocesan Treasurers – Helen Arnopp and Melvin Beamish. Finally, the Canon Treasurer, Canon Paul Willoughby was entrusted with it at the West Door of the Cathedral for safe-keeping in the Cathedral Treasury until it is needed at the consecration of a new bishop in the future.
Niamh and John receive the bishop’s crozier at the end of the Farewell Service (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
Niamh and John, Elizabeth Gleasure, Darragh Coombes, Helen Arnopp and Melvin Beamish entrusted the crozier, finally, to the Canon Treasurer, Canon Paul Willoughby. (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
The Bishop and Mrs Susan Colton then departed from the Cathedral to a closing voluntary composed by Louis Vierne Final in D major from Organ Symphony No.1 Op. 14.In his speech of thanks Bishop Colton had already explained that choice:
It’s a magnificent piece of music by Louis Vierne. I chose it because of the fact that Louis Vierne was born blind and the beauty of his music tells me that, in spite of our limitations and weaknesses, God can indeed use us to do beautiful things for him.’
Bishop Paul and Mrs Susan Colton are verged from the Cathedral at the end of the Service accompanied by one of their sons, Adam Colton. (Gerard McCarthy Photography)
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