Cork, Cloyne and Ross at the General Synod of the Church of Ireland 2026

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.

Following the service, members walked to the Slieve Donard Hotel and Archbishop John McDowell, delivered his Presidential Address. You can read the full text of the Archbishop’s address 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.