19 April 2026
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
After more than 27 years the service took place at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, before a congregation of more than 500 guests. The Church of Ireland (Anglican) in Cork nows await the election and consecration of a new bishop in the coming months.
The well known Bishop Paul Colton, Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross pictured at his retirement service
Photography by Gerard McCarthy Photography
The final Service in which Bishop Paul Colton participated as “Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross”
has taken place in Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork on Saturday, 18th April.
Due to the limited number of seats, all seats for people from the Diocese and for visitors
were allocated with people displaying invites on their phones. The public were asked not to attend
unless they had already been allocated a pass for a seat.
The service has been recorded and can be viewed at
https://www.churchservices.tv/corkstfinbarre/archive/recordings/v9x7enjuZEWMtiz
In choosing the date and timing of the Service, Bishop Paul Colton had explained that he wanted to go
into retirement, and he wanted everyone in the Diocese to go forward into their next stage led by a
new bishop, ‘with a spring in our step,’ The Service on Saturday 18th April was, therefore, a Diocesan
Celebration of Easter with the theme ‘The Glory of Easter’.
Bishop Paul Colton with Adam and Susan Colton coming down the aisle at the end of the Service ,pictured at the Farewell Service for Bishop Paul Colton that he will participate as Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross , the service is also Diocesan Celebration of Easter with the theme ‘The Glory of Easter’ at Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral.
Photography by Gerard McCarthy Photography
This was a significant moment in the life of the Church of Ireland in Cork as Bishop Colton has been
the longest serving Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross since 1617 and, of the serving
bishops in the Church of Ireland, was the last to be consecrated in the Twentieth Century.
The preacher at the Service will be Bishop and Mrs Susan Colton’s friend of many years, the Very
Reverend Dr Mark Oakley, Dean of Southwark, a renowned writer, preacher, speaker with a strong
commitment to human rights.
The congregation of nearly 500 people from the Diocese, and all the serving clergy and
commissioned lay workers of the Diocese, were joined by ten bishops including Bishop Fintan
Gavin (Cork and Ross), Bishop John Buckley (Bishop Emeritus) and Bishop William Crean (Cloyne).
Bishop Colton’s fellow Diocesan bishops from the Southern Province will attend: Bishop Patricia
Storey (Meath and Kildare); Bishop Michael Burrows (Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe) and Bishop
Adrian Wilkinson (Cashel, Ferns and Ossory). BIshop Michael Ipgrave ( Lichfield, England), Bishop
Johan Dalman (Strängnäs, Sweden) and Bishop Bo-Göran Åstrand (Porvoo, Finland) will be present,
along with the former Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Richard Clarke.
At the end of the Service, Bishop Colton returned his crozier (pastoral staff) and, in a powerful symbol of
looking to the future, entrust it to two young people, two young adults and two lay people before it was returned
to the Cathedral treasury by the Canon Treasurer where it will await the election and consecration of a new
bishop in the coming months.
Photography by Gerard McCarthy Photography 087 8537228
Bishop Paul Colton Final procession up the aisle as Bishop of Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross
Photography by Gerard McCarthy Photography
Jerry Buttimer Minister of State, Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley Lord Mayor Cllr Fergal Dennehy, Bishop Paul Colton , Susan and Adam Colton ,pictured at the Farewell Service for Bishop Paul Colton that he will participate as Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross , the service is also Diocesan Celebration of Easter with the theme ‘The Glory of Easter’ at Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral.
Photography by Gerard McCarthy Photography