Early days of Cork Methodism

Early days of Methodism in Cork

1748 June 2 - the first record of Methodist Preaching in Cork when Thomas Williams and Robert Swindells conducted a first preaching 'round' in Cork.
1748 Aug 20 - Charles Wesley arrived in Cork
1748 Aug 21 - Charles Wesley went to Hammond's Marsh (near the present Mercy Hospital), at 5am, and found a congregation of some thousand persons. Later that day, at 5pm "he took to the field again" and preached to a congregation 'computed to be 10,000'.
1748 Aug 26 - Charles Wesley had dinner with Dr. J. Browne, Bishop of Cork, at Riverstown and "was received with great affability by himself and his family. After dinner he rode back to Cork and drank tea with some well disposed Quakers".
1748 Aug 28 - Charles Wesley preached at Marmullane parish church at the invitation of Rev.E.Cotrell.

1749 - "Anti-Methodist" riots in Cork. John Wesley, arriving on June 5, was advised not to stop in Cork because of the rioting and instead met members of the society in Blarney, 6 km to the NW of Cork.

1751 June - George Whitfield visited Cork and preached 7 or 8 times "to a great body of people in all quietness".

1752 - Wesley Chapel, Hammond's Marsh was built, the second Methodist preaching house in Ireland.

1756 May 12 - John Wesley arrived in Cork and preached in the new Chapel.

1787 - John Wesley was received by the Lord Mayor at the Mansion House (now the Mercy Hospital).

1789 - John Wesley, aged 84, visited Cork for the last time and administered the Sacrament to 450 communicants.

1797 - Thomas Stepford, Bishop of Cork, granted the use of the Huguenot French Church to the Methodists. By 1804 they found it to small and decided to build on the newly reclaimed St. Patrick Street.

In 1818 there was a division in the Methodist community in Ireland which lasted until the two groups reunited following Church Disestablishment. The smaller of the two groups called themselves 'The Primitive Wesleyan Methodist Connexion'. They wished to remain loyal members of the Established Church and followed as they argued the 'primitive' order of John Wesley in keeping their chapels as preaching houses. As a result they did not themselves administer the sacraments nor hold worship services during 'church hours'. This group in Cork obtained the use of the French Church and in 1841, as the building was too small, it was demolished and a larger Chapel built on the site. The 'Wesleyan' and 'Primitive Wesleyan' Methodists reunited in 1878, with worship in the French Church premises continuing until 1897.

Former Primitive Wesleyan Chapel in
French Church Street.