Piety Power Ireland 1760 1960 - by Stewart J Brown & David W Miller Hardcover

Book Synopsis

This volume, in honour of the great historian Emmet Larkin, is organized around the two themes that have shaped his work on the Catholic Church in modern Ireland--the role of the church in the creation of the modern Irish state, and the role of the church in defining a distinctive Irish national identity through the "devotional revolution". The various chapters explore different themes--political, social, ecclesiastical, and literary--but are united by their common engagement with aspects of Larkin's work on Irish culture and consciousness between the late eighteenth century and the present.

Review Quotes

"[A] Festschrift in honour of an out-of-the-ordinary historian of Ireland and of the Catholic Church in Ireland." --Journal of Ecclesiastical History

"[A] Festschrift that must gladden the renowned historian's heart...." --Irish Review

"[W]ell-written and scrupulously researched." --Catholic Library World

"The volume should be warmly welcomed..." --English Historical Review

"These essays by scholars from the United States, Scotland, and Ireland honor Emmet Larkin, the well-known historian of 19th-century Ireland. Five essays deal with the 'implications of Larkin's 'Devotional Revolution' thesis, which argues that it was only in the mid-19th century that the church made 'practising Catholics' of the Irish people.' Six essays deal with 'issues arising out of Larkins' "Church, State and Nation" thesis which suggests that several decades before an Irish state achieved de jure independence, the church had entered into a "concordat" with a de facto irish state.' Also included are a memoir and a bibliography of the honoree." --Theology Digest

About the Author

Stewart J. Brown is Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Edinburgh.

David W. Miller is Professor of History at Carnegie Mellon University.