05/08/2026
One hundred years ago Irish Presbyterianism was going through a decade of significant development. After the Great War, the partition of Ireland was accompanied by economic recession and intercommunal violence. The Parliament of the new state of Northern Ireland took up residence for over a decade in The Presbyterian College, Belfast, a visible reminder of the close relationship between church and state.
Against that backdrop, Presbyterians grappled with how their religious tradition related to this fluid context. Different, though not incompatible, responses were attempted, including evangelism and popular revivalism, institutional reform, theological reflection, and the formation of pressure groups. The ensuing debate led to significant developments by 1926. In June, the General Assembly agreed that women were eligible for the office of ruling elder on the same basis as men, while in December, the Presbytery of Belfast received heresy charges against Professor J. Ernest Davey.
To aid communal reflection on this pivotal period, the Faculty of Union Theological College invites you to join the College for a public lecture by Prof. Andrew Holmes, Professor of Modern History and Head of History at Queen’s University Belfast. Prof. Holmes will speak on the topic ‘Controversy, Change, Continuity: Irish Presbyterianism in the 1920s.’
Book your place by emailing [email protected]
7.00pm on Friday 4 September, 2026, at Union Theological College
