The Cooneyites are a Protestant Christian sect which grew out of another similar sect, popularly known as "Two by Two" and other names in the absence of an official name. The latter was founded by William Irvine in Ireland in 1897 and the evangelist Edward Cooney, from whom the name "Cooneyite" derives, was associated with Irvine from this time. Nevertheless, it was not until 1901 that Cooney relinquished his stake in his family business (donating £1300 to Irvine's ministry) and became a tramp preacher.

From this time, Irvine and Cooney were considered the two chief leaders of the ministry. Thus Cooney was heavily involved in the doctrinally-similar Two by Two sect, which

Today Cooneyites are a small but recognised sect in the United Kingdom, having just over 200 members according to the 2001 UK Census. According to Roberts (1990), the Cooneyites still exist as a minority Christian denomination in various places around the world, including Northern Ireland and Mildura, Australia, who still meet in homes for church meetings.

References

1. Roberts, Patricia, 1990, "The Life and Ministry of Edward Cooney, 1867-1960" published by William Trimble, Ltd., Enniskillen, North Ireland. ISBN 0951010948