Editing Church of Ireland (section)

===18th century===
[[File:John Smibert - Bishop George Berkeley - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Irish philosopher and Church of Ireland bishop [[George Berkeley]]]]
In 1704, the [[Test Act]] was extended to Ireland; this effectively restricted public office to members of the Church of Ireland and officially remained in place until the 1829 [[Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829|Catholic Relief Act]]. However, the practice of occasional conformity continued, while many Catholic gentry by-passed these restrictions by educating their sons as Protestants, their daughters as Catholics; [[Edmund Burke]], who was raised Church of Ireland but whose parents simultaneously raised his sister Juliana Catholic, is one example.{{sfn|O'Brian|2015|p=10}}

It is estimated fewer than 15 – 20% of the Irish population were nominally members of the church, which remained a minority under pressure from both Catholics and Protestant Nonconformists. The [[Toleration Act 1719|1719 Toleration Act]] allowed Nonconformists freedom of worship, while the Irish Parliament paid their ministers a small subsidy known as the 'regium donum.'{{sfn|James|1979|p=433}}

Although willing to permit a degree of flexibility, like their English counterparts, Irish bishops viewed their status as the national church to be non-negotiable and used their seats in the [[Irish House of Lords]] to enforce this. However, in 1725 Parliament passed the first in a series of 'temporary' Indemnity Acts, which allowed office holders to 'postpone' taking the oaths; the bishops were willing to approve these, since they could be repealed at any point.{{sfn|James|1979|p=444}}

In the 17th century, religious and political beliefs were often assumed to be the same; thus Catholics were considered political subversives, simply because of their religion. During the 18th century, sectarian divisions were replaced by a growing sense of Irish autonomy; in 1749, [[George Berkeley|Bishop Berkeley]] issued an address to the Catholic clergy, urging them to work together with the church in the (Irish) national interest.{{sfn|James|1979|p=451}} After 1750, the government increasingly viewed Catholic emancipation as a way to reduce the power of Protestant nationalists like the [[Society of United Irishmen|United Irishmen]]; this had potential implications for the church since the requirement non-church members pay tithes was deeply resented.{{sfn|Barlett|1993|p=2}} The movement ended after the [[Irish Rebellion of 1798|1798 Rebellion]] and Ireland's incorporation with Britain.