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The island of Ireland has had a tense relationship with religion for quite some time, and this certainly applies to the period covered in this collection. In this collection, the editors record its traces from his 1800 to his 2023 with the following objectives: This book represents ‘modern Ireland’. The 32 essays are divided into three sections in which he examines religion, politics, and society in specific periods. The first, his 1800-1922, covers the period from the Act of Uniformity to Partition. The second, 1922-1968, ends with the outbreak of ‘Unrest’ in Northern Ireland, which for some was the inevitable result of Partition. And the last one is from the 1960s to the present. The project is therefore ambitious in terms of schedule and the decision to cover her two jurisdictions within the country.
Religion in Ireland has always been closely aligned with politics and identity issues, with some identifying as Catholic/Green/Nationalist, while others prefer the Protestant/Orange/Loyalist brand. Of course, such labels are often arbitrary and do not capture the reality of the majority of people in the Christian tradition. There are also people who classify themselves as “lapsed” members of their former religious groups, and their numbers are constantly increasing. You can already see how difficult it is to trace the influence of religion on any culture at any time, let alone grasp how it has developed in a country with a long history of religious conflict like Ireland. I think.
Editors are readily recognizable, including Guy Beyner, Ian Dalton, Marianne Elliott, Louise Fuller, Gladys Ganiel, Myrtle Hill, Tom Inglis, Daiti O Corraine, Robert J. Savage, and Graham. We have assembled a great group of contributors, including names. Walker. The essays primarily focus on the main derivations of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, with Protestantism comprising by far the largest religious denomination in the country. However, while an interesting topic, it is strange that a whole chapter is devoted to paganism, while Islam, Ireland’s third most common religion, is limited to a subsection dealing with minority religions and immigration. It seemed to me. Similarly, the important role played by the Jewish community and the Huguenots in key areas of Irish life may have deserved more attention than they have received. Finally, a strong case can be made as a sister work to Norman Vance’s A Survey of Religion and Literature (1798-1923). This covers the past century, whose literature has been more strongly characterized by religious concerns.
On the plus side, it’s good to have contributions on science, education, broadcasting, and law that provide interesting insights. The decision to conclude the book with a chapter on the rise of those who place themselves in the category of “non-religious” is significant. In it, Hugh Turpin points out a significant disconnect, particularly in the way many Catholics felt obligated to leave the church in the wake of the clergy abuse scandal. to a morally reprehensible and oppressive organization. ”
The editors argue that modern religious perceptions have been strongly influenced by the sectarian conflicts that raged during the turbulent period and by the rapid secularization that occurred in the republic from the 1960s to the present. . For centuries, issues of culture and identity have been important in determining which “tribe” a person declares allegiance to. Even if the line is often much more blurred than it first appears. For example, the United Irishmen republican movement was founded by Protestants: Wolfe Tone, Robert Emmett, Henry Joy McCracken, and James Knapper Tandy. Their support for violent rebellion to achieve their goals is in stark contrast to Daniel O’Connell’s absolute insistence on peaceful means, an approach that led to the granting of Catholic emancipation in 1829. It was a target. The act also meant that Catholics would now be able to sit in Parliament at Westminster. Significantly, the emancipation of the Catholic Church marked the end of years of attempts to establish a Protestant national church, which ultimately led him to the dissolution of the Church of Ireland in 1871.
The 1932 Eucharistic Conference provided an ideal opportunity to showcase Ireland’s commitment to the Catholic faith on the world stage.
The 19th century was also marked by political and agrarian unrest. Tithes, collected from all landowners to support the Church of Ireland, regardless of religious allegiance, were particularly onerous to Catholics. Another cause of dissent during the famine was “supererism.” This was used to describe feeding hungry people in exchange for conversion to Protestantism. The extent to which this actually happened is open to question. On the other hand, the Piety Revolution, which was characterized by a large-scale church-building movement led by Cardinal Paul Cullen (1803-1878), was an attempt by Catholic leaders to escape from the shadow of the Anglican Church. Louise Fuller believes that the Catholic Church, which had suffered so much under criminal law, should have seen the advent of the Free State in 1922 as an opportunity to assert itself. Paintings of the Sacred Heart, the Pope’s Marriage Blessing, the Cross, the Virgin Mary, the Infant of Prague, St. Joseph, etc. ”
It certainly helped that the newly established state was willing to allow the church freedom in two important areas: education and health. The 1932 Eucharistic Conference provided an ideal opportunity to showcase Ireland’s commitment to Catholicism on the world stage, with clergy and politicians attending Mass in Phoenix Park, and more than a million people attending. , approximately 100,000 of whom were tourists. From the north down. Vocations to the priesthood and religious life flourished, and attendance at Mass and the sacraments was very high. However, changes would come in the 1960s with the advent of economic prosperity, educational reform, the advent of television, increased international travel, and the influence of Vatican II, all of which influenced Catholic teaching, especially This led to a less docile acceptance in the Middle Ages. area of sexuality. The outbreak of northern unrest diverted much attention to dealing with sectarian violence, political agitation, hunger strikes, and social unrest in that part of the island.
The Liberal movement, launched in the 1980s by Fine Gael’s then leader Garrett Fitzgerald, clashed with the Catholic Church hierarchy, which resented any attempt to undermine its “special status” enshrined in the 1937 Constitution. I decided to do it. Although unsuccessful in the divorce and abortion referendum, Fitzgerald’s pioneering work ultimately led to the decriminalization of homosexuality among consenting adults (1993), the repeal of the ban on divorce (1995), The introduction of same-sex marriage (2015) and the legalization of abortion (2018) have made Ireland one of the most liberal countries in the Western world.
The results of the clergy abuse scandal and further investigations into industrial schools, Magdalene laundries, and mother-and-baby homes led to further disillusionment with the Catholic Church.
Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1979 was seen by some as the culmination of Irish Catholicism, but in reality Ireland was following the example of other European countries in embracing secularism. Recognition was the trigger. According to Tom Inglis, the “moral monopoly” enjoyed by the Catholic Church for many years was based on the cultural capital associated with being perceived as a “good” Catholic. Inglis points out that there are many “cultural Catholics” in Ireland today who identify as Catholics with “only partial beliefs and no sense of belonging”.
The clergy abuse scandal led to the establishment of a commission of inquiry that revealed a deliberate cover-up by the church hierarchy, and also revealed the results of further investigations carried out into industrial schools, Magdalene laundries and mother and child homes. Ta. State-sponsored religious orders led to further disillusionment with the Catholic Church. Protestant churches suffer from similar problems, albeit to a lesser extent, but no matter what metrics you apply, the situation is far from favorable for Irish religion.
Charles Taylor writes in The Secular Age that the main change brought about by secularism was that “we went from a society where it was virtually impossible not to believe in God, even to the most faithful believers. “It will take us to a society where faith is recognized.” , it is one of the many human possibilities. ” This seems to me a good summary of what has happened in Ireland over the past two quarters of a century. The gradual move away from formal religious practice resulted not in the death of religion, but rather in its readjustment. The role it plays in people’s public and private lives. The Oxford Handbook of Irish Religion is an important step in understanding the consequences of this process.
Eamon Maher is Director of the National Center for French and Irish Studies at the Institute of Technology, Dublin, and co-editor with Eugene O’Brien of Tracing the Cultural Heritage of Ireland: From Galway to Cloyne and Beyond. (Manchester University Press).
Religion, Landscape and Settlement in Ireland: From Patrick to the Present Written by Kevin Whelan (Four Courts Press, 2019). This book takes his 32-county approach and covers the period from St. Patrick’s arrival in 432 to his 2018. Whelan deftly points out the myriad connections between religion and Ireland’s cultural heritage, links found in literature, folklore, and the built environment.
Protestants and the Irish: Exploring the place of minorities in independent Ireland., edited by Ian Dalton and Ida Milne (Cork University Press, 2019). A valuable book that gives voice to the experiences of a wide range of southern Protestants, including clergy, revolutionaries, members of the working class, rural women, and academics, and highlights the diversity of their views and their fluid and uncertain positions. collection. The 26 counties of Ireland after independence.
Ulster Catholics: History Written by Marianne Elliott (Allen Lane, 2000). A fascinating story about the character of Ulster Catholicism, its links to nationalism, and the gradual development of what Elliott calls the “cult of discontent” of northern Catholicism. Although this is clearly an academic study, Eliot’s style is engaging and overall easy to read.