The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had a presence in the island of Ireland since at least 1840, when the Elder John Taylor first preached in Newry.

Missionary efforts continued in the 1850s, and a small branch was established in Dublin, but many members emigrated to Utah or lost interest in the church.

In 1948, the first church-owned meeting house was constructed, and in 1953, Northern Ireland welcomed President David O. McKay as the first prophet to visit that region.

With Stephen Covey as president of the newly formed Irish mission, in 1962, the number of conversions quadrupled within an 18-month period.

[10] The first official Mormon missionary activity in Northern Ireland occurred on 23 May 1840 when Reuben Hedlock became the first known Latter-day Saint to visit the area.

On 28 July 1840, John Taylor and two Irish men, who were converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England, preached in Newry.

He also reported that landlords threatened to evict their tenants if they listened to church teachings; Sloan was reassigned to work in England, leaving Ireland without missionaries.

Other missionaries were assigned for short periods of time, but they reported on the difficulty of preaching the gospel in such grim conditions.

[14] In June 1850, two elders, Gilbert Clements and John Lindsay, were sent to Belfast to revive what was left of the church and missionary efforts.

At the same time that Clements and Lindsay were regathering the saints in Belfast, Elders Sutherland and Bowering were sent to preach in Dublin and were the first missionaries in that area.

They faced mobs, robbing, arson, and other violent acts, which unfortunately was not uncommon to Church missionaries during this time period.

This success was abruptly halted, however, because Mormon missionaries from the United States who were serving in Northern Ireland were called home due to the Utah War in 1857.

[13] Because missionary success had declined in the 1860s, church leaders encouraged members to emigrate to Utah to gather with the other Saints.

[13] During this time period, the church tried to establish and maintain a more permanent presence in Ireland, attempting to institute auxiliary programs like the Mutual Improvement Association and Sunday School.

Initially these efforts proved to be futile, and it was not until the 20th century that they were successfully integrated as church programs in Ireland.

This attitude continued into the 20th century, as evidenced by several anti-Mormon plays written and shown in theaters in Belfast during the summer of 1913.

With the successful implementation of the Relief Society, Mutual Improvement Association, Primary, and increased numbers of priesthood holders, the church was strengthened and received favor in the eyes of the Irish public.

[13] Just prior to World War II, the church began to be recognized on a local level in Belfast when the Mormon Millennial Chorus visited Ireland in 1938.

[13] Due to the rising tension of the war, Irish missionaries were pulled out of Ireland and other European countries and relocated to the United States.

The war resulted in a decline in church activity because many members worked in factories to produce materials for soldiers in the Allied Forces.

By June 1951, Mormon genealogists were able to make duplicates of all records available at the time, and copies were sent to church headquarters in the United States.

[13] David O. McKay visited Ireland in 1953 while serving as the president of the church as part of a European tour.

With the creation of a separate mission, membership rose from 600 to 2,500 in only 18 months,[11] and the number of missionaries sent to Ireland increased dramatically.

Well-known Irish Latter day Saints include Charles Albert Callis, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,[13] and Robert Sands, who was the fifth conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

[23]On Sunday 5th of May 2024, a Special Conference attended by Elder Mark G. Stewart was held in the Finglas Chapel, Dublin.

[24] On the 6th of October 2024, at the Sunday afternoon session of general conference, Church President Russell M. Nelson made the announcement of a future Temple in Dublin Ireland.

(May 1968), History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ireland since 1840: MA Thesis, Provo: Department of Graduate Studies in Religious Instruction, Brigham Young University, p. 63, retrieved 9 October 2016