Lutheran Church in Ireland
A Lutheran church serving German-speaking and other Lutheran communities across the island of Ireland.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Lutheran Church in Ireland is a Lutheran Christian church operating across the island of Ireland, with its mother parish and principal congregation in Dublin. Its contemporary presence is closely associated with German-speaking Lutheran communities, although it also conducts services in English and provides worship opportunities for Lutherans from several other linguistic and national backgrounds. Lutheran worship in Dublin has much older roots than the church's present institutional form. An earlier Lutheran congregation worshipped in Poolbeg Street in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The congregation served Lutherans in Dublin, including German and Dutch soldiers and settlers who arrived after the Battle of the Boyne. The church became known locally as the German Church or Dutch Church. Historical registers associated with Pastor John George Frederick Schulze record marriages, including marriages involving people outside the Lutheran community. Worship ceased after a fire in 1840, and the church property was subsequently sold. Although a small Lutheran community continued without a permanent chapel, it ceased meeting in the early twentieth century. The Lutheran presence was re-established in Dublin in 1955, following an increase in the number of Lutherans in Ireland after the Second World War. Pastor Hans Mittorp was installed during this revival, and the congregation moved into the former Catholic Apostolic Church on Adelaide Road. The building, designed by architect Enoch Trevor Owen, became St Finian's Lutheran Church. The church was rededicated in 1961 in a ceremony attended by German and Swedish bishops and the Archbishop of Dublin. The church maintains a special relationship with the Evangelical Church in Germany. Historically, many members originated in German-speaking countries and regions of Europe, and German remains the principal language of worship in Dublin. An English-language service is held on the last Sunday of each month. Lutheran services have also been held in Belfast, Castlepollard, Cork, Galway, Killarney, Limerick, Sligo and Wexford. In 1984, the Dublin and Belfast congregations established a partnership under which the Dublin-based pastor conducted a monthly service in Belfast, initially at the Moravian Church on University Road. St Finian's also provides a home for other Lutheran and ecumenical activity. The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ireland holds a weekly Latvian-language service there, while Polish-language services take place monthly and Estonian services have been held occasionally. In 2022, the first Latvian priest was ordained in Dublin for the Latvian congregation, in a ceremony at Christ Church Cathedral involving the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad and the Church of Ireland. The Lutheran Church in Ireland participates in wider Christian cooperation through membership of the Irish Council of Churches and the Dublin Council of Churches. In 2009, its reported baptized membership was 300. Census figures for people identifying their religion as Lutheran were higher and cover the wider population rather than only the church's baptized membership: 5,329 people identified as Lutheran in the Republic of Ireland in 2016, compared with 756 in 2002, while Northern Ireland recorded 294 in 2011 compared with 186 in 2001. These figures should not be treated as direct measures of the church's membership.
History
Lutheran worship in Dublin predates the present Lutheran Church in Ireland by several centuries. An earlier Lutheran church was established in Poolbeg Street in 1725 to serve Lutherans living in Dublin. The congregation was associated with German and Dutch soldiers and settlers who had come to Ireland after the Battle of the Boyne, and the building was commonly known as the German Church or Dutch Church. The church also had connections with the wider Protestant population: Welsh Calvinistic Methodists used it before opening their own chapel in 1838. Pastor John George Frederick Schulze served the Poolbeg Street congregation from 1806 until his death in 1839. Registers associated with his ministry document marriages conducted in the German Protestant Lutheran Church, including clandestine marriages involving people from outside the Lutheran community. Worship ended after a fire in 1840. The church building, land and graveyard were sold, although the structure remained standing into the twentieth century. A smaller Lutheran community persisted without a dedicated chapel, but it stopped meeting in the early twentieth century. The modern Lutheran Church in Ireland emerged after the Second World War. A larger Lutheran population, including people from German-speaking parts of Europe, created the conditions for institutional revival. In 1955, the Lutheran church was re-established in Dublin and Pastor Hans Mittorp was installed. The congregation took possession of the former Catholic Apostolic Church on Adelaide Road, a building designed by Enoch Trevor Owen. It became St Finian's Lutheran Church and remains the church's central location. The building was formally rededicated in 1961, with German and Swedish bishops and the Archbishop of Dublin attending. The church developed a distinctive international and multilingual character. It maintains a special relationship with the Evangelical Church in Germany, reflecting the background of many of its members and the importance of German-language Lutheran networks. Most services in Dublin are conducted in German, but an English-language service takes place on the final Sunday of each month. Services have also been organized in Belfast, Castlepollard, Cork, Galway, Killarney, Limerick, Sligo and Wexford, extending the church's reach beyond its Dublin mother parish. A significant regional arrangement began in 1984, when the Dublin and Belfast congregations entered a partnership. Under this arrangement, the Dublin-based pastor conducted a monthly service in Belfast. The Belfast service was held at the Moravian Church on University Road. This relationship allowed Lutherans in Northern Ireland to maintain a regular worship gathering without a separate full-time pastoral establishment. The church's institutional life includes ecumenical participation. It is a member of the Irish Council of Churches and the Dublin Council of Churches, and the pastor of St Finian's serves as a patron of the Dublin Council of Churches. St Finian's additionally functions as a venue for other Lutheran communities. The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ireland holds a weekly Latvian-language service there, while Polish services are held monthly and Estonian services have occurred occasionally. On 3 April 2022, the first Latvian priest was ordained in Dublin at Christ Church Cathedral, connecting the local Latvian ministry with the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad and the Porvoo Communion relationship with the Anglican Church of Ireland. Available membership and census data illustrate the difference between the church's formal membership and the wider number of people identifying as Lutheran. The church reported 300 baptized members in 2009. In the Republic of Ireland, the number of census respondents identifying Lutheranism as their religion rose from 756 in 2002 to 5,329 in 2016. Northern Ireland recorded 186 such respondents in 2001 and 294 in 2011. These census totals include people beyond the institutional membership of the Lutheran Church in Ireland and therefore should not be interpreted as the church's own membership figures.
- 2022
First Latvian priest ordained in Dublin
[1]The first Latvian priest connected with the Latvian Lutheran ministry in Ireland was ordained at Christ Church Cathedral.
- 2015
Non-stipendiary minister ordained
[1]A non-stipendiary minister was ordained in Dublin by the bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg.
- 2009
Baptized membership reported
[1]The church was reported to have 300 baptized members.
- 1984
Dublin–Belfast congregation partnership begins
[1]The Dublin and Belfast congregations agreed on a partnership involving monthly Belfast services led by the Dublin-based pastor.
- 1961
St Finian's Lutheran Church rededicated
[1]The Adelaide Road church was rededicated with German and Swedish bishops and the Archbishop of Dublin in attendance.
- 1955
Modern Lutheran Church in Ireland re-established
[1]The church was re-established in Dublin after postwar growth in the Lutheran population, with Hans Mittorp installed as pastor.
- 1840
Poolbeg Street worship ends after a fire
[1]Worship at the earlier Lutheran church ceased after a fire, and the property was subsequently sold.
- 1806
John George Frederick Schulze begins Dublin pastorate
[1]Schulze became pastor of the German Protestant Lutheran Church in Poolbeg Street, serving until his death in 1839.
- 1725
Earlier Lutheran church established in Poolbeg Street
[1]An earlier Lutheran church in Dublin began serving German, Dutch and other Lutheran residents and became known locally as the German or Dutch Church.
Products and positioning
A small, multilingual Lutheran church serving Ireland's German-speaking and international Lutheran communities while participating in Ireland-wide ecumenical life.
Congregation and church building · 1955
St Finian's Lutheran Church
The Dublin mother parish and principal worship site of the Lutheran Church in Ireland. Located on Adelaide Road, it hosts predominantly German-language Lutheran worship, a monthly English-language service and services connected with other Lutheran communities, including the Latvian congregation.
Regional worship service · 1984
Belfast Lutheran service
A recurring Lutheran worship service developed through the 1984 partnership between the Dublin and Belfast congregations. The service is held at the Moravian Church on University Road and is supported by the Dublin-based pastor.
Hosted congregation
Latvian-language Lutheran worship
Weekly Latvian-language worship hosted at St Finian's for the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ireland. The site also accommodates other occasional or periodic language-specific services.
Brand decisions
2022
Ordination of the first Latvian priest in DublinOtherBackground
The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ireland had been using St Finian's for regular Latvian-language worship.
Action taken
The first Latvian priest was ordained in Dublin at Christ Church Cathedral.
Aftermath
The ordination strengthened the local Latvian Lutheran ministry and its links with the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad and the Porvoo Communion.
2015
Ordination of a non-stipendiary ministerOtherBackground
The church continued developing its ministry capacity within its relationship with German Lutheran churches.
Action taken
A non-stipendiary minister was ordained in Dublin by Frank Otfried July of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg.
Aftermath
The ordination added ministerial capacity without evidence of a full-time salaried appointment.
1984
Dublin–Belfast congregation partnershipStrategyBackground
Lutherans in Belfast required a regular worship arrangement without a separately described full-time pastoral structure.
Action taken
The Dublin and Belfast congregations formed a partnership under which the Dublin-based pastor conducted a monthly Belfast service.
Aftermath
The arrangement created a continuing link between the church's main Dublin congregation and Lutheran worshippers in Northern Ireland.
1955
Re-establishment of a permanent Lutheran presence in DublinStrategyBackground
The postwar increase in the number of Lutherans in Ireland created a need for a renewed congregation and permanent worship base.
Action taken
The Lutheran church was re-established in Dublin, Pastor Hans Mittorp was installed, and the congregation moved into the building that became St Finian's Lutheran Church.
Aftermath
Dublin became the mother parish for Lutheran worship and ministry across the island.
Recent events
- 2022
First Latvian priest ordained in Dublin[1]
Leadership change
The first Latvian priest associated with the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ireland was ordained in Dublin at Christ Church Cathedral.
- 2015
Non-stipendiary minister ordained in Dublin[1]
Leadership change
A non-stipendiary minister was ordained in Dublin by Frank Otfried July, Landesbischof of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg.
- 1984
Dublin and Belfast congregations establish a service partnership[1]
Other
The Dublin and Belfast congregations entered a partnership under which the Dublin-based pastor conducted a monthly service in Belfast.
- 1961
St Finian's Lutheran Church rededicated[1]
Other
The Adelaide Road church was rededicated in a ceremony attended by German and Swedish bishops and the Archbishop of Dublin.
- 1955
Lutheran Church in Ireland re-established in Dublin[1]
Other
The Lutheran church was re-established in Dublin after an increase in the island's Lutheran population following the Second World War. Pastor Hans Mittorp was installed.
Sources1 sources
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