The
sees of
Down and
Connor were established at the
Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111. For a brief period in the early 12th century, they were united under Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair (
Saint Malachy), who also became
Archbishop of Armagh. On 29 July 1438, plans for a permanent union of the sees of
Down and
Connor were submitted to
King Henry VI of England for his sanction. Exactly twelve months later, 29 July 1439,
Pope Eugene IV issued a
papal bull stating that Down and Connor were to be united on the death or resignation of either bishop. In 1442, Bishop John Sely of Down was deprived of his see by Pope Eugene IV, thereby effecting the union of the two dioceses. John Fossade, who had been
bishop of Connor since 1431, became the bishop of the united see of Down and Connor in late 1442. However, due to strong opposition to the union in the diocese of Down, three more bishops of Down were appointed, two whilst Fossade was alive and one after his death. It was not until the appointment of Thomas Knight that the two sees accepted union under one bishop. Following the upheaval of the 16th-century
Reformation in Ireland, there were parallel
apostolic successions. In the
Church of Ireland, Down and Connor merged with
Dromore in 1842 to form the
Bishopric of Down, Connor and Dromore. This arrangement continued until 1945 when it was separated into the bishoprics of
Down & Dromore and
Connor. In the
Roman Catholic Church, the see of Down and Connor continues. Since the first half of the nineteenth century the bishop has lived in Belfast rather than the Downpatrick area. The incumbent is the Most Reverend
Alan McGuckian, Bishop of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor, who was appointed by the
Holy See on 2 February 2024 and
ordained bishop on 6 August 2017. ==Lists of bishops==