The Synod of Kells, which takes place…

The Synod of Kells, which takes place in 1152, under the presidency of Cardinal Paparoni, continues the process begun at the Synod of Rathbreasail of reforming the Irish church.

The sessions are divided between the abbeys of Kells and Mellifont, and in later times the synod has been called the Synod of Kells-Mellifont and the Synod of Kells/Mellifont.

The diocesan system is further reorganized, with the number of metropolitan provinces being increased from two to four, by raising the dioceses of Dublin and Tuam to archdioceses.

The four provinces of Armagh, Cashel, Dublin and Tuam correspond to the contemporary boundaries of the provinces of Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connacht respectively.

The diocesan structure established by the synod will largely survive until the sixteenth century, and today forms the basis of the territorial structure of both the Roman Catholic church and the Protestant Church of Ireland, with many of the sees now merged.