Religious Revival Despite Political Repression: Catholicism in Counter-Reformation Ireland

Theme: Resisting the Revolutionary Reset: Virtues, Skills, and Catholic Good Sense for Flourishing amid the Madness

Joe Doyle's talk, delivered at the St. Benedict Center, explores how Catholicism not only endured but thrived in Ireland despite centuries of political repression and religious persecution. Doyle draws a parallel between modern threats to freedom of religion and speech in the U.S. and the suppression of Catholicism under English rule from the 16th to the 19th centuries. He attributes Ireland’s religious survival to factors such as the poverty and zeal of its friars, the absence of bureaucratic corruption, the people’s militant resistance to heresy and oppression, and their willingness to endure hardship to preserve the faith. He also highlights how forced withdrawal from politics led to a flourishing of Irish Catholic culture, language, and education in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Doyle concludes by comparing the perseverance of historical Irish Catholics to modern efforts of faithful communities like the St. Benedict Center, emphasizing steadfastness, courage, and cultural renewal in the face of hostility.

2021 SBC Conference

File Size: 509 MB

This is a video file of this conference talk.