165-531: Souperism was a phenomenon of the Irish Great Famine . Protestant Bible societies set up schools in which starving children were fed, on the condition of receiving Protestant religious instruction at the same time. Its practitioners were reviled by the Catholic families who had to choose between Protestantism and starvation. People who converted for food were known as "soupers", "jumpers" and " cat breacs ". In
330-512: A leitmotif of fiction written about the Famine, and folklore and Irish literature are replete with depictions of souperism. This may have served to exaggerate the extent that it actually occurred. Both Bowen and Whelan (listed in Further reading ) note that the fear of souperism was very real, and state that the practice did indeed occur. But they point out that there is very little actual evidence that
495-520: A condition of food aid. Several Anglicans, including the Anglican Archbishop of Dublin , Richard Whately , decried the practice; many Anglicans set up soup kitchens that did no proselytising; and Quakers , whose soup kitchens were concerned solely with charitable work, were never associated with the practice (which causes them to be held in high regard in Ireland even today, with many Irish remembering
660-497: A continuing source of candidates for the priesthood, as they would have years of training before entering a seminary. As Irish society has become more diverse and secular, Catholic control over primary education has become controversial, especially with regard to preference given to baptized Catholics when schools are oversubscribed. Virtually all state-funded primary schools – almost 97 percent – are under church control. Irish law allows schools under church control to consider religion
825-402: A disincentive to local relief efforts. Due to poor weather conditions, the first shipment did not arrive in Ireland until the beginning of February 1846. The initial shipments were of unground dried kernels, but the few Irish mills in operation were not equipped for milling maize and a long and complicated milling process had to be adopted before the meal could be distributed. In addition, before
990-519: A family. Shortly before the famine, the British government reported that poverty was so widespread that one-third of all Irish small holdings could not support the tenant families after rent was paid; the families survived only by earnings as seasonal migrant labour in England and Scotland. Following the famine, reforms were implemented making it illegal to further divide land holdings. The 1841 census showed
1155-571: A fungus). In 1851, the Census of Ireland Commissioners recorded 24 failures of the potato crop going back to 1728, of varying severity. General crop failures, through disease or frost, were recorded in 1739, 1740, 1770, 1800, and 1807. In 1821 and 1822, the potato crop failed in Munster and Connaught . In 1830 and 1831, counties Mayo , Donegal , and Galway suffered likewise. In 1832, 1833, 1834, and 1836, dry rot and curl caused serious losses, and in 1835
1320-509: A garden crop of the gentry . By the late 17th century, it had become widespread as a supplementary food; their main diet was still based on butter, milk, and grain products. The Irish economy grew between 1760 and 1815 due to infrastructure expansion and the Napoleonic Wars (1805–1815), which had increased the demand for food in Britain. Tillage increased to such an extent that there was only
1485-513: A general unwillingness amongst charities to co-operate with one another. By 1913 "souper" had become a general term of abuse used against overly religious Catholics as well. A priest near Macroom was opposed to informal dances, and a crowd of dancers taunted his informants with shouts of "soupers". Great Famine (Ireland) The Great Famine , also known as the Great Hunger ( Irish : an Gorta Mór [ənˠ ˈɡɔɾˠt̪ˠə ˈmˠoːɾˠ] ),
1650-414: A lack of genetic variability among potato plants, which increased vulnerability to disease. Potatoes were essential to the expansion of the cottier system ; they supported an extremely cheap workforce, but at the cost of lower living standards. For the labourer, "a potato wage" shaped the expanding agrarian economy. The potato was also used extensively as a fodder crop for livestock immediately prior to
1815-455: A liberal journalist who writes for The Guardian claimed that "the fiction of Ireland as a conservative, dogmatically Catholic country has been shattered". The Government of Ireland Act of 1920 acted as the constitution of Northern Ireland , in which was enshrined freedom of religion for all of Northern Ireland's citizens. Here Catholics formed a minority of some 35 percent of the population, which had mostly supported Irish nationalism and
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#17328735702581980-556: A marginal interest in religion the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin , said in May 2011. According to a 2012 Ipsos MRBI poll by the Irish Times, the majority of Irish Catholics did not attend mass weekly, with almost 62% rejecting key parts of Catholicism such as transubstantiation . After the results of both the 2015 same-sex marriage and the 2018 abortion referendums , Úna Mullally ,
2145-663: A mensa et thoro ", effectively a form of marital separation. The church helped reinforce public censorship and maintained its own list of banned literature until 1966, which influenced the State's list. In spite of objections from the Catholic hierarchy, voters in Ireland approved a referendum to legalise same-sex marriage in 2015 and abortion in 2018 . In September 2010, an Irish Times/Behaviour Attitudes survey of 1,006 people showed that 67% felt that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. This majority extended across all age groups, with
2310-511: A mixture of "indoor" and "outdoor" direct relief; the former administered in workhouses through the Irish Poor Laws , the latter through soup kitchens . The costs of the Poor Law fell primarily on the local landlords, some of whom in turn attempted to reduce their liability by evicting their tenants or providing some relief through the conversionist practice of Souperism . On 1 March 1847,
2475-634: A number of sexual abuse scandals involving clerics emerged. During classical antiquity , the Roman Empire conquered most of Western Europe but never reached Ireland. So when the Edict of Milan in 313 AD allowed tolerance for the Palestinian -originated religion of Christianity and then the Edict of Thessalonica in 380 AD enforced it as the state religion of the Empire; covering much of Europe (including within
2640-420: A parallel in the world. It allowed proprietors to suck the very life-blood of that wretched race". The "Gregory clause" of the Poor Law, named after William H. Gregory , MP, prohibited anyone who held at least 1 ⁄ 4 acre (0.1 ha) from receiving relief. In practice, this meant that the many farmers who had to sell all their produce to pay rent and taxes, would have to deliver up all their land to
2805-572: A peasantry created which was one of the most destitute in Europe". Immense population growth , from about 2 million in 1700 to 8 million by the time of the Great Famine, led to increased division of holdings and a consequent reduction in their average size. By 1845, 24% of all Irish tenant farms were of 0.4–2 hectares (1–5 acres) in size, while 40% were of 2–6 hectares (5–15 acres). Holdings were so small that no crop other than potatoes would suffice to feed
2970-402: A population of just over eight million. Two-thirds of people depended on agriculture for their survival but rarely received a working wage. They had to work for their landlords in return for a small patch of land to farm. This forced Ireland's peasantry to practice continuous monoculture , as the potato was the only crop that could meet nutritional needs. The potato was introduced in Ireland as
3135-485: A practice known as "tenant right" , a tenant was compensated for any improvement they made to their holding. According to Woodham-Smith, the commission stated that "the superior prosperity and tranquillity of Ulster, compared with the rest of Ireland, were due to tenant right". Landlords in Ireland often used their powers without compunction , and tenants lived in dread of them. Woodham-Smith writes that, in these circumstances, "industry and enterprise were extinguished and
3300-481: A small amount of land available to small farmers to feed themselves. The potato was adopted as a primary food source because of its quick growth in a comparatively small space. By 1800, the potato had become a staple food for one in three Irish people, especially in winter. It eventually became a staple year-round for farmers. A disproportionate share of the potatoes grown in Ireland were the Irish Lumper , creating
3465-551: Is a voluntary association of clergy in Ireland that has more than 1000 members. There are also many religious orders , which include: Augustinians , Capuchins , Carmelites , Fathers of the Holy Ghost , Dominicans , Franciscans , Jesuits , Marists , Missionaries of Charity , Oblates , Passionists , Redemptorists , and Vincentians . The total number of the regular clergy is about 700. They are engaged either in teaching or in giving missions , and occasionally charged with
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#17328735702583630-574: Is always denoted with a capital letter to express its specific historic meaning. The period of the potato blight in Ireland from 1845 to 1851 was full of political confrontation. A more radical Young Ireland group seceded from the Repeal movement in July 1846, and attempted an armed rebellion in 1848 . It was unsuccessful. In 1847, William Smith O'Brien , leader of the Young Ireland party, became one of
3795-518: Is called 'cholera' in potatoes in Ireland, especially in the north". On 13 September, The Gardeners' Chronicle announced: "We stop the Press with very great regret to announce that the potato Murrain has unequivocally declared itself in Ireland." Nevertheless, the British government remained optimistic over the next few weeks, as it received conflicting reports. Only when the crop was harvested in October did
3960-652: Is held to have sent Palladius to evangelise the Gaels in 431, though success was limited. Apart from these, the figure most associated with the Christianisation of Ireland is Patrick (Maewyn Succat), a Romano-British nobleman, who was captured by the Gaels during a raid, when the Roman rule in Britain was in decline. Patrick contested with the druí , targeted the local royalty for conversion, and re-orientated Irish Christianity to having Armagh , an ancient royal site associated with
4125-638: Is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Holy See . With 3.5 million members (in the Republic of Ireland), it is the largest Christian church in Ireland . In the Republic of Ireland 's 2022 census, 69% of the population identified as Roman Catholic. By contrast, 41% of people in Northern Ireland identified as Catholic at the 2011 census; it is expected that this proportion will increase in
4290-582: Is planning a legal challenge. From 1930, hospitals were funded by a sweepstake (lottery) with tickets frequently distributed or sold by nuns or priests. In 1950, the church opposed the Mother and Child Scheme . Less hospitals in Ireland are still run by Catholic religious institutes. For example, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin is run by the Sisters of Mercy . In 2005,
4455-555: Is today known as Gaelic Christianity . It gradually gained ground and replaced the old pagan traditions. The Catholic Church in Ireland cites its origin to this period and considers Palladius as the first bishop sent to the Gaels by Pope Celestine I . However, during the 12th century a stricter uniformity in the Western Church was enforced, with the diocesan structure introduced with the Synod of Ráth Breasail in 1111 and culminating with
4620-514: The Agnus Dei ) and she remained silent throughout. Statements were taken from 15 lay people who claimed to have witnessed the apparition. The Knock Shrine became a major place of pilgrimage and Pope Pius XI declared Our Lady of Knock to be "Queen of Heaven and of Ireland" at the closing of the 1932 Eucharistic Congress . From the time that Ireland achieved independence, the church came to play an increasingly significant social and political role in
4785-488: The Anti-Maynooth Conference group founded by anti-Catholics. In 1835, Fr. John Spratt, an Irish Carmelite visited Rome and was given by Pope Gregory XVI , the relics and the remains of St. Valentine (whose feast is St. Valentine's Day ), a Roman 3rd century Christian martyr, which Spratt brought back to Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church , Dublin. The faith was beginning to be legalised in Ireland again but
4950-658: The Archbishop of Canterbury (then Theobald of Bec ), visited Benevento where the first English Pontiff, Pope Adrian IV (Nicholas Breakspear) was reigning. Here, he spoke of the need for reform for the Church in Ireland, requesting that this be overseen by the King of England , then Henry II Plantagenet , who would have the right to invade and rule Ireland. Adrian IV published the Papal bull Laudabiliter giving permission for this proposal. This
5115-583: The British Isles itself, Roman Britain ); the indigenous Indo-European pagan traditions of the Gaels in Ireland remained normative. Aside from this independence, Gaelic Ireland was a highly decentralised tribal society, so mass conversion to a new system would prove a drawn out process even as the Christian religion began to gradually move into the island. There is no tradition of a New Testament figure visiting
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5280-591: The Dominicans , there are many groups more focused on Catholic laity in Ireland, such as: Other organisations with Irish branches: In the years surrounding the Great Famine in Ireland, the Catholic Church was doing much work to evangelise other nations in the world. As a consequence of the famine, the Parish Mission's Movement commenced that would lead to a stricter observance of Catholicism in Ireland as well as
5445-459: The Earl of Lucan owned more than 60,000 acres (240 km ). Many of these landowners lived in England and functioned as absentee landlords . The rent revenue—collected from impoverished tenants who were paid minimal wages to raise crops and livestock for export —was mostly sent to England. In 1800, the 1st Earl of Clare observed of landlords that "confiscation is their common title". According to
5610-573: The Early Middle Ages , the Gaelic Church was organised around powerful local monasteries. The lands which monasteries were based on were known as termonn lands, holding a special tax exempt status, and were places of sanctuary. The spiritual heirs and successors of the saintly founders of these monasteries were known as Coarbs , who held the right to provide Abbots. For example: the Abbot of Armagh
5775-447: The Gaelic kingdoms and Gaelicised lordships supporting different contenders. The Donn faction, led by the O'Neill of Tyrone , O'Brien of Thomond , Burke of Clanrickard and O'Connor Donn of Roscommon supported Rome. Through the agency of the Earl of Ormond , they had been loosely allied to Richard II of England when he made an expedition to Ireland in 1394–95. Secondly, there was
5940-826: The Gregorian Reform which coincided with the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland . After the Tudor conquest of Ireland , the English Crown attempted to import the Protestant Reformation into Ireland. The Catholic Church was outlawed and adherents endured oppression and severe legal penalties for refusing to conform to the religion established by law — the Church of Ireland . By the 16th century, Irish national identity coalesced around Irish Catholicism . For several centuries,
6105-683: The House of Commons of the United Kingdom , and Irish representative peers elected 28 of their own number to sit for life in the House of Lords . Between 1832 and 1859, 70% of Irish representatives were landowners or the sons of landowners. In the 40 years that followed the union, successive British governments grappled with the problems of governing a country which had, as Benjamin Disraeli stated in 1844, "a starving population, an absentee aristocracy, an alien established Protestant church , and in addition,
6270-597: The Irish Free State and following that, the Republic of Ireland . For many decades, Catholic influence (coupled with the rural nature of Irish society) meant that Ireland was able to uphold family-orientated social policies for longer than most of the West, contrary to the laissez-faire -associated cultural liberalism of the British and Americans. This cultural direction was particularly prominent under Éamon de Valera . For example, from 1937 until 1995, divorce and remarriage
6435-640: The Isle of Wight . A week later, on 23 August, it reported that "A fearful malady has broken out among the potato crop ... In Belgium the fields are said to be completely desolated. There is hardly a sound sample in Covent Garden market ... As for cure for this distemper, there is none." These reports were extensively covered in Irish newspapers. On 11 September, the Freeman's Journal reported on "the appearance of what
6600-616: The King of Leinster . Fearful that the Norman barons would set up their own rival Kingdom and wanting Ireland himself, Henry II landed at Waterford in 1171, under the authority of Laudabiliter (ratified by Pope Alexander III ). Once established, he held the Second Synod of Cashel (1172). The synod, ignored in the Irish annals , is known from the writings of Gerald of Wales , the anti-Gaelic Norman who authored Expugnatio Hibernica (1189). Three of
6765-528: The Lebor Gabála Érenn , the lifetime of Jesus Christ was synchronised with the reigns of Eterscél , Nuadu Necht and Conaire Mór as High Kings of Ireland . In medieval tellings, Conchobar mac Nessa , a King of Ulster , was born at the same hour as Christ. Later in life, upon seeing an unexplained " darkening of the skies ", Conchobar mac Nessa found out from a druí that Christ had been crucified, and in doing so, converts Conchobar. However, after hearing
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6930-564: The Letter of Cumméne Fota , around 626-628. After a separate dialogue with Rome, Armagh followed in 692. The Columbans of Iona were the most resistant of the Irish, holding out until the early 700s, though their satellite Lindisfarne was pressured into changing at the Synod of Whitby in 664, partly due to an internal political struggle. The longest holdouts were the Cornish Britons of Dumnonia , as part of their conflict with Wessex . Indeed,
7095-534: The Lord Mayor , went to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Heytesbury to discuss the issue. They offered suggestions such as opening the ports to foreign corn, stopping distillation from grain, prohibiting the export of foodstuffs, and providing employment through public works. Lord Heytesbury urged them not to be alarmed, that they "were premature", that scientists were enquiring into all those matters, and that
7260-717: The Magdalene Asylum on Lower Leeson St aided "Protestant women after a first fall" and "those who were to become mothers"; whereas the St Joseph's Reformatory School for Catholic Girls provided education for Catholic girls and the Catholic Rotunda Girls Aid Society aided unmarried Catholic mothers. Barret, whose Guide to Dublin Charities listed many overlapping charities, decried the "wasteful overlapping of work" and begged such charities to work together, to improve
7425-612: The Merovingian and Carolingian Frankish Empire . Notable establishments founded by the Irish Christians were Luxeuil Abbey in Burgundy , Bobbio Abbey in Lombardy , Abbey of Saint Gall in modern Switzerland and Disibodenberg Abbey near Odernheim am Glan . These Columbanian monasteries were great places of learning, with substantial libraries; these became centres of resistance to
7590-866: The Normans . During the Western Schism which lasted from 1378 to 1417, within which there were at least two claimants to the Papacy (one in Rome and one in Avignon ), different factions within Gaelic Ireland disagreed on whom to support. This was not a doctrinal dispute, but a political one. The Plantagenet -controlled Lordship of Ireland followed the Kingdom of England in backing the Pope in Rome. Meanwhile, there were two main power blocs among
7755-399: The Order of Preachers (also known as the Dominicans), they first established a branch at Dublin in 1224, shortly followed by one at Drogheda the same year, before spreading further. Prominent examples of Dominican establishments from this era are Black Abbey in Kilkenny and Sligo Abbey . Their biggest rivals, the Order of Friars Minor (also known as the Franciscans) arrived at around
7920-471: The Reformed Augustinians . Due to the influential hagiography, the Life of Saint Malachy , authored by Bernard of Clairvaux, with a strongly Reformist Cistercian zeal, the view that the Gaelic Irish Christians were "savages", "barbarian" or "semi-pagan"; due to their difference in church discipline and organisation and despite a reform already underway under the native high kings; found a wide footing in Western Europe. In 1155, John of Salisbury , Secretary to
8085-417: The Roman Rite to a more centralised model and closely enforced disciplines such as the struggle against simony , marriage irregularities and in favour of clerical celibacy . This was in the aftermath of the East–West Schism between the Catholic Church in the West and the Orthodox Church in the East. These Roman reforms reached Ireland with three or four significant synods: the First Synod of Cashel (1101)
8250-416: The Ruadh faction, led by the O'Donnell of Tyrconnell , Burke of Mayo and O'Connor Ruadh of Roscommon ; from 1406, they were joined by the O'Neill of Clannaboy . This alternative power faction backed the Avignon antipapacy and were more closely allied to the Stewart -controlled Kingdom of Scotland . The situation was finally resolved by the Council of Constance of 1414–1418 with full reunification of
8415-571: The Toluca Valley in Mexico, whence it spread within North America and then to Europe. The 1845–1846 blight was caused by the HERB-1 strain of the blight. In 1844, Irish newspapers carried reports concerning a disease that had attacked the potato crops in America for two years. In 1843 and 1844, blight largely destroyed the potato crops in the Eastern United States. Ships from Baltimore , Philadelphia , or New York City could have carried diseased potatoes from these areas to European ports. American plant pathologist William C. Paddock posited that
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#17328735702588580-403: The second reading of the government's Irish Coercion Bill was defeated by 73 votes in the House of Commons by a combination of Whigs , Radicals , Irish Repealers, and protectionist Conservatives. Peel was forced to resign as prime minister on 29 June, and the Whig leader, Lord John Russell , became prime minister. The measures undertaken by Peel's successor, Russell, proved inadequate as
8745-448: The 7th century, rivalries between Hibernocentric-Lindisfarne and Kentish - Canterbury emerged within the Heptarchy , with the latter established by the mission of Roman-born Augustine of Canterbury . Customs of the Irish Church which differed, such as the date which Easter was calculated and the Gaelic monks' manner of tonsure was highlighted. The issue was resolved in southern Ireland with Clonfert replying to Pope Honorius I with
8910-461: The 7th century. Indeed, at Bangor , a saint by the name of Columbanus developed his Rule of St. Columbanus . Strongly penetential in nature, this Rule played a seminal role in the formalisation of the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church. The zeal and piety of the Church in Ireland during the 6th and 7th centuries was such that many monks, including Columbanus and his companions, went as missionaries to Continental Europe , especially to
9075-471: The 84.2% who identified as Catholic in the 2011 census and 79% who identified as Catholic in the 2016 census. In October 2019 the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) announced that reform is urgently required to prevent parishes from closing across Ireland. The number of clerics dying or retiring continues to exceed the number of new priests. The ACP has long promoted church reform, including relaxing celibacy rules, ordaining married men, and ordaining women to
9240-413: The Bank of England announced plans to raise a loan of £14 million to relieve the Irish crisis, and also for unfunded tax cuts. This led to the Panic of 1847 , in which gold was withdrawn from circulation, so reducing the amount of bank notes that the Bank could legally circulate. By 17 April 1847 the bullion reserve of the Bank of England had diminished from £15 million in January to some £9 million, and it
9405-427: The Church in Ireland from a monastic-centered model to a diocesan-centered one, with two provinces at Armagh and Cashel established, with twelve territorial dioceses under the Archbishop of Armagh and Archbishop of Cashel respectively. It also brought Waterford under Cashel, as the Norsemen had previously looked to the Province of Canterbury . Cellach of Armagh , the " Coarb Pádraig", was present and recognised with
9570-413: The Church of Ireland remained the official state church for almost 300 years until it was disestablished on 1 January 1871 by the Irish Church Act 1869 that was passed by Gladstone's Liberal government. The effect of the Act of Supremacy 1558 and the papal bull of 1570 ( Regnans in Excelsis ) legislated that the majority population of both kingdoms to be governed by an Anglican ascendancy. After
9735-410: The Cornish had been converted by Irish missionaries : patron saint Piran (also known as Ciarán ) and a nun princess Ia ; who gave her name to St. Ives ; were foremost. As well as Ia, there were also female saints in Ireland during the early period, such as Brigid of Kildare and Íte of Killeedy . The oldest surviving liturgical text of the Church in Ireland is the Antiphonary of Bangor from
9900-558: The Famine and the Irish Potato Famine , was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland lasting from 1845 to 1852 that constituted a historical social crisis and had a major impact on Irish society and history as a whole. The most severely affected areas were in the western and southern parts of Ireland — where the Irish language was dominant — hence the period was contemporaneously known in Irish as an Drochshaol , which literally translates to "the bad life" and loosely translates to "the hard times". The worst year of
10065-409: The Inspectors of Constabulary and Stipendiary Magistrates were charged with making constant reports from their districts, and there was no "immediate pressure on the market". On 8 December 1845, Daniel O'Connell, head of the Repeal Association , proposed several remedies to the pending disaster. One of the first things he suggested was the introduction of Tenant-Right as practised in Ulster, giving
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#173287357025810230-418: The Irish Catholic majority were suppressed. In the 19th century, the church and the British Empire came to a rapprochement . Funding for Maynooth College was agreed as was Catholic emancipation to ward off revolutionary republicanism. Following the Easter Rising of 1916 and the creation of the Irish Free State , the church gained significant social and political influence. During the late 20th century,
10395-440: The Irish Church as the political Lordship of Ireland was established, though many Gaelic kingdoms and their dioceses remained too. Crusading military orders , such as the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller had a presence in Ireland, mostly, though not exclusively, in the Norman areas. The Templars had their Principal at Clontarf Castle until their suppression in 1308 and received land grants from various patrons; from
10560-403: The Irish Church. This created two more Provinces and Archbishops, with an Archbishop of Dublin and an Archbishop of Tuam added. Tuam was established in acknowledgement of the political rise of Connacht, with the High King being Toirdhealbhach Ó Conchobhair . Another major figure associated with this Reform was Lorcán Ó Tuathail , Archbishop of Dublin who founded Christ Church at Dublin under
10725-447: The Pale (i.e., before the union with Great Britain in 1801) had adopted in periods of distress. Contemporaneously, as found in letters from the period and in particular later oral memory, the name for the event is in Irish : An Drochshaol , though with the earlier spelling standard of the era , which was Gaelic script , it is found written as in Droċ-Ṡaoġal. In the modern era, this name, while loosely translated as "the hard-time",
10890-459: The Quakers with the remark "They fed us in the famine."). Souperist practices, reported at the time, included serving meat soups on Fridays – which Catholics were forbidden by their faith from consuming. Soupers were frequently ostracised by their own community, and were strongly denounced from the pulpit by the Catholic priesthood. On occasion, soupers had to be protected by British soldiers from other Catholics. The idea of Souperism has become
11055-420: The US and Australia, this has created a worldwide network, though affected by falling numbers of priests. For a large part of the 20th century, the number of men entering the priesthood in Ireland was so overwhelming that many were sent to the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia. In the 2022 Irish census 69% of the population identified as Catholic in Ireland. Ireland has seen a significant decline from
11220-475: The blight was transported via potatoes being carried to feed passengers on clipper ships sailing from America to Ireland. Once introduced in Ireland and Europe, blight spread rapidly. By mid-August 1845, it had reached much of northern and central Europe; Belgium, The Netherlands, northern France, and southern England had all already been affected. On 16 August 1845, The Gardeners' Chronicle and Horticultural Gazette reported "a blight of unusual character" on
11385-616: The church hierarchy was willing to work with Parliamentary Irish nationalism, it was mostly critical of " Fenianism "; i.e. – Irish republicanism . This continued right up until it was clear that the British-side was losing, then the church partly switched sides. It supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty and therefore were formally pro-treaty in the Irish Civil War , excommunicating anti-treaty followers. Despite this, some Protestants in Ireland stated that they were opposing Irish self-government, because it would result in " Rome Rule " instead of home rule, and this became an element in (or an excuse for)
11550-479: The church itself, many Irish devotional traditions have continued for centuries as a part of the church's local culture. One such tradition, unbroken since ancient times, is of annual pilgrimages to sacred Celtic Christian places such as St Patrick's Purgatory and Croagh Patrick . Particular emphasis on mortification and offerings of sacrifices and prayers for the Holy Souls of Purgatory is another strong, long time cultural practice. The Leonine Prayers were said at
11715-439: The church. A confusing but defining period arose during the English Reformation in the 16th century, with monarchs alternately for or against papal supremacy . When on the death of Queen Mary in 1558, the church in England and Ireland broke away completely from the papacy, all but two of the bishops of the church in Ireland followed the decision. Very few of the local clergy led their congregations to follow. The new body became
11880-473: The coming years. The Archbishop of Armagh , as the Primate of All Ireland , has ceremonial precedence in the church. The church is administered on an all-Ireland basis. The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference is a consultative body for ordinaries in Ireland. Christianity has existed in Ireland since the 5th century and arrived from Roman Britain (most famously associated with Saint Patrick ), forming what
12045-632: The conditions that led to the famine. However, it was asserted that, since the Acts of Union 1800 , the British Parliament was partly to blame. This point was raised in The Illustrated London News on 13 February 1847: "There was no law it would not pass at their request, and no abuse it would not defend for them." On 24 March, The Times reported that Britain had permitted in Ireland "a mass of poverty, disaffection, and degradation without
12210-453: The constitutional prohibition of abortion, which the church supported, though abortion for social reasons had already been illegal under Irish statutory law. However, the church failed to influence the June 1996 removal of the constitutional prohibition of divorce . While the church opposed divorce allowing remarriage in civil law, its canon law allowed for a law of nullity and a limited divorce "
12375-472: The cornmeal could be consumed, it had to be "very much" cooked again, or eating it could result in severe bowel complaints. Due to its yellow colour, and initial unpopularity, it became known as "Peel's brimstone". In October 1845, Peel moved to repeal the Corn Laws — tariffs on grain which kept the price of bread high—but the issue split his party and he had insufficient support from his own colleagues to push
12540-635: The creation of Northern Ireland . The church continued to have great influence in Ireland. Éamon de Valera 's 1937 constitution , while granting freedom of religion, recognised the "special position of the Holy Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church". Major popular church events attended by the political world have included the Eucharistic Congress in 1932 and the Papal Visit in 1979. The last prelate with strong social and political interests
12705-438: The crisis deepened. The new Whig administration, influenced by the doctrine of laissez-faire , believed that the market would provide the food needed. They refused to interfere with the movement of food to England, and then halted the previous government's food and relief works, leaving many hundreds of thousands of people without access to work, money, or food. Russell's ministry introduced a new programme of public works that by
12870-673: The de Laceys, Butlers, Taffes, FitzGeralds and even O'Mores . Their Master in Ireland was part of the administration of the Lordship of Ireland. The Hospitallers (later known as the Knights of Malta ) had their Priory at Kilmainham and various preceptories in Ireland. They took over Templar properties and continued throughout the Medieval period. During the 13th century, the mendicant orders began to operate within Ireland and 89 friaries were established during this period. The first of these to arrive were
13035-513: The defeat of King James II of the Three Kingdoms in 1690, the Test Acts were introduced which began a long era of discrimination against the recusant Catholics of the kingdoms. The slow process of reform from 1778 on led to Catholic emancipation in 1829. By then Ireland was a part of the newly created United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . As part of this, St Patrick's College, Maynooth
13200-452: The destruction of a country". As any improvement made on a holding by a tenant became the property of the landlord when the lease expired or was terminated, the incentive to make improvements was limited. Most tenants had no security of tenure on the land; as tenants "at will", they could be turned out whenever the landlord chose. The only exception to this arrangement was in Ulster where, under
13365-511: The diaconate. In 2020, 65% of Irish Catholics supported same-sex marriage and 30% opposed it. In Ireland the church had significant influence on public opinion. The introduction of the Irish Education Act (1831) of Lord Stanley placed Irish primary school education under it. It was associated with the Jacobite movement until 1766, and with Catholic emancipation until 1829. The church
13530-620: The diocese of Cashel has been joined with the diocese of Emly , Waterford merged with Lismore , Ardagh merged with Clonmacnoise among others. The bishop of the Diocese of Galway is also the Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora . There are 1,087 parishes, a few of which are governed by administrators, the remainder by parish priests. There are about 3,000 secular clergy—parish priests, administrators, curates , chaplains, and professors in colleges. The Association of Catholic Priests
13695-650: The end of Low Mass for the deceased of the penal times . " Patterns " (processions) in honour of local saints also continue to this day. Marian Devotion is an element, focused on the shrine at Knock , an approved apparition of the Virgin Mary who appeared in 1879. Feasts and devotions such as the Immaculate Conception of Mary (1854) and the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1642), and the concepts of martyrology are very prominent elements. Respect for mortification of
13860-483: The end of December 1846 employed some half a million but proved impossible to administer. Charles Trevelyan , who was in charge of the administration of government relief, limited the Government's food aid programme, claiming that food would be readily imported into Ireland once people had more money to spend after wages were being paid on new public-works projects. In a private correspondence, Trevelyan explained how
14025-454: The established state church , which was grandfathered in the possession of most church property. This allowed the Church of Ireland to retain a great repository of religious architecture and other religious items, some of which were later destroyed in subsequent wars. A substantial majority of the population remained Catholic, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. Despite its numerical minority, however,
14190-556: The evictions of farmers; the consequent reduction in homelessness and house demolition resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of deaths. Ireland was brought into the United Kingdom in January 1801 following the passage of the Acts of Union . Executive power lay in the hands of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and Chief Secretary for Ireland , who were appointed by the British government. Ireland sent 105 members of parliament to
14355-523: The exception of the over-65s, while 66% of Catholics were in favour of same-sex marriage. Only 25% disagreed that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, opposition that was concentrated among older people and those in rural areas. In terms of same-sex adoption, 46% were in support of it and 38% opposed. However, a majority of females, 18- to 44-year-olds, and urban dwellers supported the idea. The survey also showed that 91% of people would not think less of someone who came out as homosexual, while 60% felt
14520-461: The famine and the refusal of London to bar such exports, as had been done on previous occasions, was an immediate and continuing source of controversy, contributing to anti-British sentiment and the campaign for independence. Additionally, the famine indirectly resulted in tens of thousands of households being evicted , exacerbated by a provision forbidding access to workhouse aid while in possession of more than one-quarter acre of land. The famine
14685-514: The famine could bring benefit to the English; As he wrote to Edward Twisleton : "We must not complain of what we really want to obtain. If small farmers go, and their landlords are reduced to sell portions of their estates to persons who will invest capital we shall at last arrive at something like a satisfactory settlement of the country". In January 1847, the government abandoned its policy of noninterference, realising that it had failed, and turned to
14850-447: The famine entered folk memory . The strained relations between many Irish people and the then ruling British government worsened further because of the famine, heightening ethnic and sectarian tensions and boosting nationalism and republicanism both in Ireland and among Irish emigrants around the world. English documentary maker John Percival said that the famine "became part of the long story of betrayal and exploitation which led to
15015-590: The famine was 1847, which became known as "Black '47". The population of Ireland on the eve of the famine was about 8.5 million, by 1901 it was just 4.4 million. During the Great Hunger, roughly 1 million people died and more than 1 million more fled the country , causing the country's population to fall by 20–25% (in some towns, populations fell as much as 67%) between 1841 and 1871. Between 1845 and 1855, at least 2.1 million people left Ireland, primarily on packet ships but also on steamboats and barques —one of
15180-505: The famine. Approximately 33% of production, amounting to 5,000,000 short tons (4,500,000 t ), was typically used in this way. Prior to the arrival of Phytophthora infestans , commonly known as "blight", only two main potato plant diseases had been discovered. One was called "dry rot" or "taint", and the other was a virus known popularly as "curl". Phytophthora infestans is an oomycete (a variety of parasitic, non-photosynthetic organisms closely related to brown algae , and not
15345-479: The first deaths from starvation were recorded. Seed potatoes were scarce in 1847. Few had been sown, so, despite average yields, hunger continued. 1848 yields were only two-thirds of normal. Since over three million Irish people were totally dependent on potatoes for food, hunger and famine were widespread. The Corporation of Dublin sent a memorial to the Queen, "praying her" to call Parliament together early (Parliament
15510-448: The first widely circulated tracts on the famine, The Last Conquest of Ireland (Perhaps) , published in 1861. It proposed that British actions during the famine and their treatment of the Irish were a deliberate effort at genocide. It contained a sentence that has since become famous: "The Almighty, indeed, sent the potato blight, but the English created the Famine." Mitchel was charged with sedition because of his writings, but this charge
15675-662: The formula for papal infallibility . Cullen called the Synod of Thurles in 1850, the first formal synod of the Irish Catholic episcopacy and clergy since 1642 and then the Synod of Maynooth . In 1879, there was a significant Marian apparition in Ireland, that of Our Lady of Knock in County Mayo . Here the Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have appeared, with St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist either side (along with
15840-399: The foundation of Mellifont Abbey in 1142. He had visited Pope Innocent II in Rome to discuss implementing reforms. It was in association with these foundations that the Synod of Kells-Mellifont (1152) took place. Malachy had died a few years previously and so Cardinal Giovanni Paparoni was present as papal legate for Pope Eugene III . It rejected Canterbury's pretentions of primacy over
16005-608: The founding members of the Irish Confederation to campaign for a Repeal of the Act of Union, and called for the export of grain to be stopped and the ports closed. The following year, he helped organise the short-lived Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848 in County Tipperary . When Ireland experienced food shortages in 1782–1783, ports were closed to exporting food, with the intention of keeping locally grown food in Ireland to feed
16170-579: The four Irish Archbishops are said to have attended, with Armagh not present due to infirmity but supportive. It relisted most of the Reforms already approached before and included a tithe to be paid to the parish and that "divine matters" in the Irish Church should be conducted along the lines observed by the English Church. In the following years, Norman-descended churchmen would now play a direct role within
16335-468: The goddess Macha (an aspect of An Morríghan ), as the preeminent seat of power. Much of what is known about Patrick is to be gleaned from the two Latin works attributed to him: Confessio and Epistola ad Coroticum . The two earliest lives of Ireland's patron saint emerged in the 7th century, authored by Tírechán and Muirchú . Both of these are contained within the Book of Armagh . From its inception in
16500-668: The government of parishes. Two societies of priests were founded in Ireland, namely St Patrick's Missionary Society , with its headquarters in County Wicklow , and the Missionary Society of St. Columban based in County Meath . Almost all Catholic religious in Ireland belong to the Latin Church . A few resident Eastern Catholic priests serve mainly immigrant communities , with supervision split between an apostolic visitor of
16665-490: The greatest exoduses from a single island in history. The proximate cause of the famine was the infection of potato crops by blight ( Phytophthora infestans ) throughout Europe during the 1840s. Blight infection caused 100,000 deaths outside Ireland and influenced much of the unrest that culminated in European Revolutions of 1848 . Longer-term reasons for the massive impact of this particular famine included
16830-451: The growing movement in Ireland for independence." Scholar Kirby Miller makes the same point. Debate exists regarding nomenclature for the event, whether to use the term "Famine", "Potato Famine" or "Great Hunger", the last of which some believe most accurately captures the complicated history of the period. The potato blight returned to Europe in 1879 but, by this time, the Land War (one of
16995-509: The heresy of Arianism . Later, the Rule of St. Columbanus was supplanted by the "softer" Rule of St. Benedict . The ascetic nature of Gaelic monasticism has been compared to the Desert Fathers of Egypt . Martin of Tours and John Cassian were significant influences. Within the Catholic Church, the Gregorian Reform took place during the 11th century, which reformed the administration of
17160-540: The historian Cecil Woodham-Smith , landlords regarded the land as a source of income, from which as much as possible was to be extracted. With the peasantry "brooding over their discontent in sullen indignation" (in the words of the Earl of Clare), the landlords largely viewed the countryside as a hostile place in which to live. Some landlords visited their property only once or twice in a lifetime, if ever. The rents from Ireland were generally spent elsewhere; an estimated £6,000,000
17325-450: The hospital deferred trials of a lung cancer medication because female patients in the trial would be required to practise contraception contrary to Catholic teaching. Mater Hospital responded that its objection was that some pharmaceutical companies mandated that women of childbearing years use contraceptives during the drug trials: "The hospital said it was committed to meeting all of its legal requirements regarding clinical trials while at
17490-768: The hungry. Irish food prices promptly dropped. Some merchants lobbied against the export ban, but the government in the 1780s overrode their protests. Historian F. S. L. Lyons characterised the initial response of the British government to the early, less severe phase of the famine as "prompt and relatively successful". Confronted by widespread crop failure in November 1845, the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel, purchased £100,000 worth of maize and cornmeal secretly from America with Baring Brothers initially acting as his agents. The government hoped that they would not "stifle private enterprise" and that their actions would not act as
17655-516: The island. Joseph of Arimathea was said to have come to Britain, Mary Magdalene , Martha and Lazarus of Bethany to France, but none were reputed to have seen Ireland itself. Instead, medieval Gaelic historians in works such as the Lebor Gabála Érenn attempted to link the historical narrative of their people (represented by the proto-Gaelic Scythians ) to Moses in Egypt . Furthermore, according to
17820-459: The landlord a fair rent for his land, but giving the tenant compensation for any money he might have laid out on the land in permanent improvements. O'Connell noted actions taken by the Belgian legislature during the same season, as they had also been hit by blight: shutting their ports against the export of provisions and opening them to imports. He suggested that, if Ireland had a domestic Parliament,
17985-407: The landlord of a regular income and relieved them of direct responsibility while leaving tenants open to exploitation by the middlemen. The ability of middlemen was measured by the rent income they could contrive to extract from tenants. Middlemen leased large tracts of land from the landlords on long leases with fixed rents and sublet to tenants, keeping any money raised in excess to the rent paid to
18150-542: The landlord to qualify for public outdoor relief. Of this Law, Mitchel wrote that "it is the able-bodied idler only who is to be fed—if he attempted to till but one rood of ground, he dies". This simple method of ejectment was called "passing paupers through the workhouse"—a man went in, a pauper came out. These factors combined to drive thousands of people off the land: 90,000 in 1849, and 104,000 in 1850. The Incumbered Estates (Ireland) Act 1849 ( 12 & 13 Vict. c. 77) allowed landlord estates to be auctioned off upon
18315-525: The landlord while the spalpeens (itinerant labourers) paid for short-term leases through temporary day work. A majority of Catholics, who constituted 80% of the Irish population, lived in conditions of poverty and insecurity. At the top of the social hierarchy was the Ascendancy class , composed of English and Anglo-Irish families who owned most of the land and held more or less unchecked power over their tenants. Some of their estates were vast; for example,
18480-433: The landlord. This system, coupled with minimal oversight of the middlemen, incentivised harsh exploitation of tenants. Middlemen would split a holding into smaller and smaller parcels so as to increase the amount of rent they could obtain. Tenants could be evicted for reasons such as non-payment of rents (which were high), or a landlord's decision to raise sheep instead of grain crops . Cottiers paid their rent by working for
18645-626: The largest agrarian movements to take place in 19th-century Europe) had begun in Ireland. The movement, organized by the Land League , continued the political campaign for the Three Fs which was issued in 1850 by the Tenant Right League during the Great Famine. When the potato blight returned to Ireland in the 1879 famine , the League boycotted "notorious landlords" and its members physically blocked
18810-463: The largest change was that Mass could be said in vernacular languages instead of Latin , and in 1981 the church commissioned its first edition of the Bible in the Irish language , but the church overwhelmingly uses English. Archbishop John Charles McQuaid was uneasy about the introduction of an English liturgy and ecumenical revisions, finding it offensive to Catholic sensibilities; he wished to uphold
18975-477: The laws probably needed to change, but noted it may take a referendum because the Irish constitution gives protections to religious institutions. The issue is most problematic in the Dublin area. A petition initiated by a Dublin barrister , Paddy Monahan, has received almost 20,000 signatures in favor of overturning the preference given to Catholic children. As of 2016, a recently formed advocacy group, Education Equality,
19140-543: The liturgy in Latin, while also offering Irish as the vernacular (he promoted an Irish language provision more than other Bishops). Since the Celtic Tiger and the furtherance of cosmopolitanism in Ireland, Catholicism has been one of the traditional elements of Ireland to fall into decline; particularly in urban areas. Fewer than one in five Catholics attend Mass on any given Sunday in Dublin with many young people only retaining
19305-555: The main factor in admissions. Oversubscribed schools often choose to admit Catholics over non-Catholics, a situation that has created difficulty for non-Catholic families. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva asked Ireland's minister for children, James Reilly , to explain the continuation of preferential access to state-funded schools on the basis of religion. He said that
19470-591: The measure through. He resigned the premiership in December, but the opposition was unable to form a government and he was re-appointed. In March, Peel set up a programme of public works in Ireland, but the famine situation worsened during 1846, and the repeal of the Corn Laws in that year did little to help the starving Irish; the measure split the Conservative Party, leading to the fall of Peel's ministry. On 25 June,
19635-622: The need for a Civil Rights Movement in 1967. This was in response to continuing discrimination against Catholics in Northern Ireland. The church is organised into four ecclesiastical provinces . While these may have coincided with contemporary 12th century civil provinces or petty kingdoms , they are not now coterminous with the modern civil provincial divisions. The church is led by four archbishops and twenty-three bishops; however, because there have been amalgamations and absorptions, there are more than twenty-seven dioceses . For instance,
19800-583: The new title as Archbishop of Armagh, which was given the Primacy of Ireland . One of the major figures associated with the Gregorian Reform in Ireland was Máel Máedóc Ó Morgair , also known as Malachy, who was an Archbishop of Armagh and the first Gaelic Irish saint to undergo a formal canonisation process and official proclamation. Máel Máedóc was closely associated with Bernard of Clairvaux and introduced his Cistercian order from France into Ireland with
19965-455: The number in 1920, due to immigration and a modest flow of conversions from Catholicism. The Catholic Church's policy of Ne Temere , whereby the children of marriages between Catholics and Protestants had to be brought up as Catholics, also helped to uphold Catholic hegemony. In both parts of Ireland, church policy and practice changed markedly after the Vatican II reforms of 1962. Probably
20130-497: The overall amount of aid that could be given. (Williams, publisher of Dublin Charities: A Handbook , expressed similar sentiments about the state of disorganisation.) However, she herself ran a charity, Cottage Home for Little Children, aimed at providing shelter for "the very young children of the industrious Protestant poor". The reasons for the disorganised and duplicated efforts were not solely sectarian, and can also be attributed to
20295-591: The pagan northern Picts of Fortriu . They were also esteemed at the court of the premier Angle -kingdom of the time, Northumbria , with Aidan from Iona founding a monastery at Lindisfarne , converting them to Christianity (the Northumbrians in turn converted Mercia ). Surviving artifacts such as the Lindisfarne Gospels , share the same insular art -style with the Stowe Missal and Book of Kells . By
20460-476: The particular points of view of Roman Catholics in regard to education so far as known to us, and it has been our desire to refrain as far as we could from recommending any course which might be thought to be contrary to their wishes. Many commentators have suggested that the separate education systems in Northern Ireland after 1921 prolonged the sectarian divisions in that community. Cases of gerrymandering and preference in public services for Protestants led on to
20625-451: The patient endurance which the labouring classes have exhibited under sufferings greater, we believe, than the people of any other country in Europe have to sustain". The Commission stated that bad relations between landlord and tenant were principally responsible for this suffering. Landlords were described in evidence before the commission as "land sharks", "bloodsuckers", and "the most oppressive species of tyrant that ever lent assistance to
20790-661: The petition of creditors. Estates with debts were then auctioned off at low prices. Wealthy British speculators purchased the lands and "took a harsh view" of the tenant farmers who continued renting. The rents were raised, and tenants evicted to create large cattle grazing pastures. Between 1849 and 1854, some 50,000 families were evicted. Catholic Church in Ireland The Catholic Church in Ireland ( Irish : An Eaglais Chaitliceach in Éireann , Ulster Scots : Catholic Kirk in Airlann ), or Irish Catholic Church ,
20955-453: The ports would be thrown open and the abundant crops raised in Ireland would be kept for the people of Ireland, as the Dublin parliament had done during the food shortages of the 1780s. O'Connell maintained that only an Irish parliament would provide both food and employment for the people. He said that repeal of the Act of Union was a necessity and Ireland's only hope. Mitchel later wrote one of
21120-455: The potato failed in Ulster. Widespread failures throughout Ireland occurred in 1836, 1837, 1839, 1841, and 1844. According to Woodham-Smith, "the unreliability of the potato was an accepted fact in Ireland". Experts are still unsure of how and when blight arrived in Europe; it almost certainly was not present prior to 1842, and probably arrived in 1844. The origin of the pathogen has been traced to
21285-407: The practice was widespread. Whelan states that, given the highly charged atmosphere of the 1840s, contemporary accounts cannot be taken at face value. Much of what surrounds the story of souperism is its perception , rather than its reality. The popular myth that the few souperists engendered has largely eclipsed the impartial philanthropic aid that was given by genuinely altruistic organisations at
21450-459: The privations which they [the Irish labourer and his family] habitually and silently endure ... in many districts their only food is the potato, their only beverage water ... their cabins are seldom a protection against the weather ... a bed or a blanket is a rare luxury ... and nearly in all their pig and a manure heap constitute their only property. The Commissioners concluded they could not "forbear expressing our strong sense of
21615-524: The push for reform of healthcare and education which would later be expanded into the overseas missionary work. Initially inspired largely by Cardinal Newman to convert the colonised peoples of the British Empire, after 1922 the church continued to work in healthcare and education what is now the Third World through its bodies such as Trócaire . Along with the Irish Catholic diaspora in countries like
21780-405: The recent civil partnership legislation was not an attack on marriage. War-time censorship by the government for security was strict and included the church; when bishops spoke on aspects of the war, they were censored and treated "with no more ceremony than any other citizen". While statements and pastoral letters issued from the pulpit were not interfered with, the quoting of them in the press
21945-477: The relics of most of the old Irish saints had been destroyed, so Pope Gregory XVI gifted these to the Irish nation. In the aftermath of the Great Hunger , Cardinal Paul Cullen became the first Irish cardinal of the Catholic Church. He played a significant role in shaping 19th century Irish Catholicism and also played a leading role at the First Vatican Council as an ultramontanist involved in crafting
22110-613: The same church based abroad and a Latin-church bishop in Ireland. The Syro Malabar Church has several priests with Stephen Chirappanath of Rome as visitor; the Syro-Malankara Church has several with Yoohanon Mar Theodosius of Muvattupuzha as visitor; the Ukrainian Greek Catholic church has one with the Ukrainian Catholic Eparch of London as visitor. Besides numerous religious institutes such as
22275-511: The same paternal bloodline and elected from within a family through tanistry (usually protected by the local Gaelic king). This was the same system used for the selection of kings, standard bearers, bardic poets and other hereditary roles. Erenagh were the hereditary stewards of the termonn lands of a monastery. Monks also founded monasteries on smaller islands around Ireland , for instance Finnian at Skellig Michael , Senán at Inis Cathaigh and Columba at Iona . As well as this, Brendan
22440-439: The same time upholding the principles and ethos of the hospital's mission", and "that individuals and couples have the right to decide themselves about how they avoid pregnancy." Divorce allowing remarriage was banned in 1924 (though it had been rare), and selling artificial contraception was made illegal. The church's influence slipped somewhat after 1970, impacted partly by the media and the growing feminist movement as well as
22605-576: The same time, either 1224 or 1226, with their first establishment at Youghal . The Ennis Friary and Roscrea Friary in Thomond founded by the O'Briens are other prominent Franciscan examples. The Carmelites arrived next in 1271, followed by the Augustinians . Within these orders, as demonstrated by the Franciscans in particular, there was often a strong ethnic conflict between the native Irish Gaels and
22770-577: The scale of destruction become apparent. Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel wrote to Sir James Graham in mid-October that he found the reports "very alarming", but allayed his fears by claiming that there was "always a tendency to exaggeration in Irish news". Crop loss in 1845 has been estimated at anywhere from one-third to one-half of cultivated acreage. The Mansion House Committee in Dublin , to which hundreds of letters were directed from all over Ireland, claimed on 19 November 1845 to have ascertained beyond
22935-469: The sexual revolution. For instance, the Health (Family Planning) Act, 1979 showed the ability of the Catholic Church to influence the government to compromise over artificial contraception , though the church was unable to get the result it wanted—contraception could now be bought, but only with a prescription from a doctor and supplied only by registered chemists. A 1983 Amendment to the constitution introduced
23100-413: The shadow of a doubt that "considerably more than one-third of the entire of the potato crop ... has been already destroyed". In 1846, three-quarters of the harvest was lost to blight. By December, a third of a million destitute people were employed in public works. According to Cormac Ó Gráda , the first attack of potato blight caused considerable hardship in rural Ireland from the autumn of 1846, when
23265-542: The south's population were Catholic while 7.4% were Protestant. By the 1960s, the Anglican and Nonconformist Protestant population had fallen by half, mostly due to emigration in the early years of Irish independence, with some Anglicans preferring to live within the UK. However, in the early 21st century the percentage of Protestants in the Republic has risen slightly, to 4.2%, and the absolute numbers to more than 200,000, almost equal to
23430-425: The standard of living unbelievably low". Lectures printed in 1847 by John Hughes , Bishop of New York , are a contemporary exploration into the antecedent causes, particularly the political climate, in which the Irish famine occurred. The "middleman system" for managing landed property was introduced in the 18th century. Rent collection was left in the hands of the landlords' agents, or middlemen. This assured
23595-713: The story of the crucifixion, Conchobar becomes distraught, and dies. Some accounts claim Conchobar "was the first pagan who went to Heaven in Ireland", as the blood that dripped from his head upon his death baptized him. Regardless, the earliest stages of Christianity in Ireland, during its 5th century arrival, are somewhat obscure. Native Christian "pre-Patrician" figures, however, including Ailbe , Abbán , Ciarán and Declán , later venerated as saints , are known. These were typically in Leinster and Munster . The early stories of these people mention journeys to Roman Britain, Roman Gaul and even Rome itself. Indeed, Pope Celestine I
23760-514: The system of absentee landlordism and single-crop dependence. Initial limited but constructive government actions to alleviate famine distress were ended by a new Whig administration in London, which pursued a laissez-faire economic doctrine, but also because some in power believed in divine providence or that the Irish lacked moral character , with aid only resuming to some degree later. Large amounts of food were exported from Ireland during
23925-416: The time. One of the effects of the perceptions surrounding Souperism was that, to avoid its stigma and avoid becoming embroiled in the war of words between Protestants and Catholics, many charities decided to only serve those whose religious persuasions matched their own. For examples: In Dublin , Mercer's Endowed Boarding School for Girls provided education for "girls of respectable Protestant parents", and
24090-401: The weakest executive in the world". One historian calculated that, between 1801 and 1845, there had been 114 commissions and 61 special committees inquiring into the state of Ireland, and that "without exception their findings prophesied disaster; Ireland was on the verge of starvation, her population rapidly increasing, three-quarters of her labourers unemployed, housing conditions appalling and
24255-412: The words of their peers, they "took the soup". Although souperism did not occur frequently, the perception of it had a lasting effect on the popular memory of the Famine. It blemished the relief work by Protestants who gave aid without proselytising, and the rumour of souperism may have discouraged starving Catholics from attending soup kitchens for fear of betraying their faith. One example of souperism
24420-819: Was Archbishop McQuaid , who retired in 1972. Pope Francis visited Ireland in 2018 upon invitation extended to the Supreme Pontiff by Ireland's Catholic bishops to visit the country in August 2018 for the World Meeting of Families . This was only the second visit of a pope to the country, the first one having taken place in 1979 with John Paul II . After independence in 1922, the Church became more heavily involved in health care and education , raising money and managing institutions which were staffed by Catholic religious institutes , paid largely by government intervention and public donations and bequests. Its main political effect
24585-465: Was a defining moment in the history of Ireland, which was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1801 to 1922 . The famine and its effects permanently changed the island's demographic, political, and cultural landscape, producing an estimated 2 million refugees and spurring a century-long population decline . For both the native Irish and those in the resulting diaspora,
24750-507: Was announced that the cost of famine relief would be transferred to local taxes in Ireland. The financial crisis temporarily improved, but the intended relief for Ireland did not materialise. In June 1847, the Poor Relief (Ireland) Act 1847 ( 10 & 11 Vict. c. 31) was passed which embodied the principle, popular in Britain, that Irish property must support Irish poverty. The landed proprietors in Ireland were held in Britain to have created
24915-435: Was at this time prorogued ), and to recommend the requisition of some public money for public works, especially railways in Ireland. The Town Council of Belfast met and made similar suggestions, but neither body asked for charity, according to John Mitchel , one of the leading Repealers. In early November 1845, a deputation from the citizens of Dublin, including the Duke of Leinster , Lord Cloncurry , Daniel O'Connell and
25080-407: Was called by Muirchertach Ó Briain , the High King of Ireland and King of Munster , held at the Rock of Cashel with Máel Muire Ó Dúnáin as papal legate , affirming many of these disciplines. This was followed by the Synod of Ráth Breasail (1111), called by the High King with Giolla Easpaig as the papal legate (he had been an associate of Anselm of Aosta ), which moved the administration of
25245-564: Was created to update the education system in Northern Ireland, without any co-operation from the Roman Catholic section in education. Instead, with regard to the Roman Catholic schools, the report relied on the guidance of a Roman Catholic who was to become the Permanent Secretary to the Minister of Education – A. N. Bonaparte Wyse We hope that, notwithstanding the disadvantage at which we were placed by this action, it will be found that Roman Catholic interests have not suffered. We have throughout been careful to keep in mind and to make allowance for
25410-402: Was dropped. He was convicted by a packed jury under the newly enacted Treason Felony Act and sentenced to 14 years transportation to Bermuda . According to Charles Gavan Duffy , The Nation insisted that the proper remedy, retaining in the country the food raised by her people until the people were fed, was one which the rest of Europe had adopted, and one which even the parliaments of
25575-407: Was founded as a national seminary for Ireland with the Maynooth College Act 1795 (prior to this, from the time of Protestant persecutions beginning until around the time of the French Revolution , Irish priests underwent formation in Continental Europe). The Maynooth Grant of 1845, whereby the British government attempted to engender good will to Catholic Ireland became a political controversy with
25740-427: Was known for his offshore "voyage" journeys and the mysterious Saint Brendan's Island . The influence of the Irish Church spread back across the Irish Sea to Great Britain . Dál Riata in what is now Argyll was geopolitically continuous with Ireland and Iona held an important place in Irish Christianity, with Columban monastic activities either side of the North Channel . From here, Irish missionaries converted
25905-407: Was not acted on immediately or made public, partly due to the king's own problems with the church (i.e. the murder of Thomas Becket ) and his mother Empress Matilda being opposed to him acting on it. The Normans had conquered England around century earlier and now due to internal political rivalries within Gaelic Ireland, began to invade Ireland in 1169 , under Strongbow , ostensibly to restore
26070-439: Was not permitted (in line with Catholic views of marriage ). Similarly, pornography, abortion, and contraception were also resisted; media depictions perceived to be detrimental to public morality were also opposed by Catholics. In addition, the church largely controlled many of the state's hospitals, and most schools, and remained the largest provider of many other social services. At the partition of Ireland in 1922, 92.6% of
26235-582: Was remitted out of Ireland in 1842. In 1843, the British Government recognized that the land management system in Ireland was the foundational cause of disaffection in the country. The Prime Minister established a Royal Commission , chaired by the Earl of Devon ( Devon Commission ), to enquire into the laws regarding the occupation of land. Irish politician Daniel O'Connell described this commission as "perfectly one-sided", being composed of landlords with no tenant representation. In February 1845, Devon reported: It would be impossible adequately to describe
26400-412: Was resurgent between 1829 and the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1869–71, when its most significant leaders included Bishop James Doyle , Cardinal Cullen and Archbishop MacHale . The relationship to Irish nationalism was complex; most of the bishops and high clergy supported the British Empire, but a considerable number of local priests were more sympathetic to Irish independence. While
26565-421: Was subject to the censor. Several reports detailing cases of emotional , physical and sexual abuse of thousands of children while in the pastoral care of dozens of priests have been published in 2005–2009. These include the Ferns Report and the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse , and have led on to much discussion in Ireland about what changes may be needed in the future within the church. Alongside
26730-425: Was the Comharba Phádraig , the Abbot of Iona was the Comharba Cholm Cille , the Abbot of Clonmacnoise was the Comharba Chiarán , the Abbot of Glendalough was the Comharba Chaoimhín and so on. The larger monasteries had various subordinate monasteries within a particular "family". The position of Coarb , like others in Gaelic culture , was hereditary, held by a particular ecclesiastical clann with
26895-438: Was the Reverend Edward Nangle who established the Achill Mission Colony in the 1830s. In the Famine years, he took the decision to provide food for the children in the Colony's scriptural schools which led to a rise in demand for places in those schools. This, in turn, led to charges that Edward Nangle was a 'buyer of souls'. However, souperism was rarely that simple, and not all non-Catholics made being subject to proselytisation
27060-416: Was therefore historically opposed to the creation of Northern Ireland. The Roman Catholic schools' council was at first resistant in accepting the role of the government of Northern Ireland, and initially accepted funding only from the government of the Irish Free State and admitting no school inspectors. Thus it was that the Lynn Committee presented a report to the government, from which an Education Bill
27225-409: Was to continue to gain power in the national primary schools where religious proselytisation in education was a major element. The hierarchy opposed the free public secondary schools service introduced in 1968 by Donogh O'Malley , in part because they ran almost all such schools. The church's strong efforts since the 1830s to continue the control of Catholic education was primarily an effort to guarantee
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