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Glite Dictionary
Church of Ireland

Church of Ireland

4.9
A Christian church in Ireland that was once part of the Church of England but now runs itself
  • proper noun
translation icon : Iglesia de Irlanda
  • The historian focused on the influences of the Church of Ireland on Irish culture.

Examples

  • "Are we part of the Church of Ireland or the Church of Rome?"

    Fiction book (1995)

  • During the service, we sang hymns specific to the Church of Ireland.

  • Father Mackey said to Patsy, "Are we part of the Church of Ireland or the Church of Rome?"

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Patsy said, "The Church of Ireland," and twitched his injured nose.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • He was raised in the Church of Ireland, attending Sunday school every week.

Surface Forms

Church of Ireland main

Morphology

church + of + Ireland

The meaning is compositionally clear: 'church' + 'of' + 'Ireland' indicates the church associated with Ireland (i.e., the institutional Anglican church in Ireland). Although it names a specific denomination, that institutional reading follows straightforward possessive/location naming patterns common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will grasp the meaning.

Etymology

Church of Ireland began when the English church set up a national church in Ireland long ago, so it literally means the church of Ireland. That's why the name today refers to the Anglican church that belongs to Ireland and now runs itself ('self-governing').