Ireland: Chronology

July 31, 1840 • Loughbrickland, IrelandThomas Tate became the first person to be baptized in Ireland. He was baptized by John Taylor of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who was visiting Ireland as part of his mission to the British Isles.

September 1840 • Hillsborough, IrelandTheodore Curtis was the first missionary assigned to preach full time in Ireland. Within three weeks of his arrival, he organized the few converts into the first branch in Ireland.

1845–49 • IrelandChurch growth in Ireland slowed during the Great Famine due to extreme poverty and high rates of emigration.

June 1850 • Dublin, IrelandEdward Sutherland, who had joined the Church in London, arrived in his native Dublin as a missionary. Three months later he organized a branch consisting mostly of his relatives.

1854–56 • IrelandJames B. Ferguson, a Belfast native, served as the presiding elder in the Irish Mission as the total membership grew from around 90 members to over 200.

1863–67 • DublinThe Dublin Branch was dissolved, and the Irish Mission was closed. Social pressures, including threats from landlords, had led most members to emigrate or distance themselves from the Church.

February 1900 • DublinFredrick Baker was baptized in the River Liffey. He was the first convert to be baptized in Dublin since the dissolution of the Dublin Branch 37 years earlier. The next year, the Dublin Branch was reorganized with nine members and with Baker as president.

1919–37 • DublinBenjamin Birchall served as district president for all branches in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

1922 • IrelandChurch conferences with members from across Ireland were held in Dublin in April and in Belfast in October, as Ireland had been partitioned into the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland that year.

October 12, 1933 • Salt Lake City, UtahCharles A. Callis, who was born in Dublin, was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

February 7, 1936 • DublinLaura Dimler and Gertrude Horlacher became the first members of the Dublin Branch to serve as full-time missionaries.

1939–45 • IrelandNorth American missionaries were evacuated from Ireland during World War II.

August 8, 1953 • DublinDavid O. McKay became the first President of the Church to visit the Saints in Dublin.

September 7, 1958 • London, EnglandThe London England Temple was dedicated, making temple blessings more accessible to the Irish Saints.

July 8, 1962 • Ireland and the Isle of ManThe Irish Mission, which included Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man, was organized.

1971 • DublinThe first Church-built meetinghouse in the Republic of Ireland was completed.

October 23, 1985 • Loughbrickland, Northern IrelandElder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve dedicated Ireland for the preaching of the gospel near the spot where the first baptism took place in 1840.

March 12, 1995 • DublinThe Dublin Ireland Stake, the first stake in the Republic of Ireland, was organized, with Liam P. Gallagher as president.

April 2011 • Belfast, Northern IrelandYouth from Ireland and Northern Ireland gathered for the first All-Ireland Regional Youth Day.

2012 • IrelandChurch membership in the Republic of Ireland surpassed 3,000.

June 28, 2014 • DublinThe first all-Ireland seminary graduation was held. Twenty-four students completed four years of study. A total of 120 certificates were awarded.

2016 • Limerick, IrelandMembers of the Limerick Branch staged an Oiche Gaeilge (Irish Night) honoring Irish traditions. The guests in attendance included national and local community figures.