Facts and Statistics

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints first arrived in Ireland in the summer of 1840 with the arrival of Elder John Taylor of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in Newry.

Two months later, the first congregation was established in Hillsborough with 35 members and by 1842 there were 71 members reported in Hillsborough and Crawfordsburn. In 1850, a Church unit was set up in the city of Dublin followed by others in Counties Westmeath, Offaly and Limerick.

However, with the encouragement of the Church, the majority of members emigrated to the United States and it was not until the early 1900s that another branch was organised in Dublin, made up largely of German immigrants, many of whom were pork butchers.

Earlier, in 1865, Charles A. Callis had been born in Dublin. Later in his life, he became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Ireland is one of only six countries outside the United States where a Mormon apostle has been born.

Emigration continued for the first half of the 20th century and it was not until the 1960s that the Church began to experience serious growth with an increase in membership from less than a thousand at the beginning of the decade to around four thousand at the end. Most of this development took place in Northern Ireland.   

Today, the Church in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has more than 8,000 members, many of whom are third or fourth generation. Hundreds of them have served (or are serving) missions in many lands across the world. The Church is now organized and well-established in congregations that can be found throughout the island.

In October 1985, Neal A. Maxwell from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles formally dedicated Ireland for the preaching of the gospel at Loughbrickland where John Taylor had performed the first-ever baptism, 145 years earlier. He also met with church members in both Belfast and Dublin.

In March 1995, the Dublin Ireland Stake was created as the first-ever in the Republic of Ireland. In September of the same year, Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church, visited with members and missionaries in Dublin. His visit was the first of the President of the Church to Ireland in forty-two years.

In May 2005, a conference was transmitted by satellite to Church members meeting in their own chapels in Ireland (and also throughout the United Kingdom). This was the first-ever conference in these islands to be handled this way. Among the participants were Thomas S. Monson of the First Presidency, and Boyd K. Packer, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In June 2009, this type of satellite conference was repeated. The speakers included Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Cheryl C, Lant, General Primary (Children) President and Ann M. Dibb, second counselor in the General Young Women Presidency.

Present-day members of the world leaders to have visited Ireland over the years include Russell M Nelson, current President of the Church, apostles M Russell Ballard, Jeffrey R Holland and David A Bednar, and Jean B Bingham, General President of Relief Society. (Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization).

Contacts

Terry McKenna
Director of Public Affairs, Northern Ireland
Email
Phone: +44790 5978497