Gaels and early Christianity . 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 religion of
Christianity and then the
Edict of Thessalonica in 380 AD enforced it as the
state religion of the Empire (which comprised much of Europe - including within 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 when the Christian religion began to gradually move into the island. There is no tradition of a
New Testament figure visiting the island.
Joseph of Arimathea traditionally came to Britain, and
Mary Magdalene,
Martha and
Lazarus of Bethany to France, but none were reputed to have seen Ireland itself. Nevertheless, 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 the
Lebor Gabála Érenn, the lifetime of
Jesus Christ was synchronous with the reigns of
Eterscél,
Nuadu Necht and
Conaire Mór as
High Kings of Ireland. In medieval accounts,
Conchobar mac Nessa, a
King of Ulster, was born in the same hour as Christ. Later in life, upon seeing an unexplained "
darkening of the skies", Conchobar mac Nessa found out from a that Christ had been crucified, leading to the conversion of Conchobar. However, after hearing the story of the crucifixion, Conchobar became distraught and died. 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 baptised him. Regardless, the earliest known stages of Christianity in Ireland, generally dated to the 5th century, remain somewhat obscure. Native Christian "pre-Patrician" figures, however, including
Ailbe (died 528),
Abbán (died ),
Ciarán (died ) and
Declán (), later venerated as
saints, are known. These figures typically operated in
Leinster and
Munster. The early stories of these people mention journeys to Roman Britain, to
Roman Gaul and even to Rome itself. Indeed,
Pope Celestine I 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 at a time when the
Roman rule in Britain was in decline. Patrick contested with the , targeted the local royalty for conversion, and re-orientated Irish Christianity to having
Armagh, an ancient royal site associated with the goddess
Macha (an aspect of
An Morríghan), as the preeminent seat of power. Much of what is known about Patrick comes 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 the
Early Middle Ages, the Gaelic Church centred around powerful local monasteries, a system which suggests early links with the
Coptic Church in Egypt. The lands on which monasteries were based were known as lands; they held 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, and held the right to provide abbots. For example: the
Abbot of Armagh was the , the
Abbot of Iona was the , the
Abbot of Clonmacnoise was the , the
Abbot of Glendalough was the , 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 with 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 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 was known for his offshore "voyage" journeys and the mysterious
Saint Brendan's Island. ''. Created at a Columban monastery, it was at the
Abbey of Kells for many centuries. The influence of the Irish Church spread back across the
Irish Sea to
Great Britain.
Dál Riata in what is now
Argyll in Scotland 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 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 in 634, converting Northumbrians 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 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 in 597. Customs of the Irish Church which differed, such as the
calculation of the date of Easter and the Gaelic monks' manner of
tonsure were highlighted. The discrepancies were resolved in southern Ireland with
Clonfert replying to
Pope Honorius I with the
Letter of Cumméne Fota, around 626-628. After a separate dialogue with Rome, Armagh followed in 692. The Columbans of Iona proved 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, the Cornish had been
converted by Irish missionaries: the Cornish 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. , off the coast of the
Iveragh Peninsula, dedicated to St.
Michael the Archangel. Irish monasticism was known for its asceticism. The oldest surviving Irish Christian
liturgical text is the
Antiphonary of Bangor from 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 the
Merovingian and
Carolingian Frankish Empire. Notable establishments founded by the Irish Christians included
Luxeuil Abbey (founded ) in
Burgundy,
Bobbio Abbey (founded in 614) in
Lombardy, the
Abbey of Saint Gall (founded in the 8th century) in present-day
Switzerland and
Disibodenberg Abbey (founded ) near
Odernheim am Glan. These Columbanian monasteries were great places of learning, with substantial libraries; these became centres of resistance to 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 linked to the
Desert Fathers of
Egypt.
Martin of Tours (died 397) and
John Cassian ( – ) were significant influences.
Gregorian Reform and Norman influence Within the Catholic Church, the
Gregorian Reform took place during the 11th century, which reformed the administration of 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) 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 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 the new title as Archbishop of Armagh, which was given the
Primacy of Ireland. , was a
Cistercian abbey located close to
Drogheda in today's
County Louth. It was the first abbey of the order to be built in Ireland. In 1152, it hosted the
Synod of Kells-Mellifont. 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 the
Expugnatio Hibernica (1189). Three of 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 the Irish Church as the political
Lordship of Ireland was established, though many Gaelic kingdoms and their dioceses remained too. , was a
Franciscan monastery in today's
County Clare. It was founded by the
Ó Briain clan in the
Kingdom of Thomond. Mendicant orders became a common feature in 13th century Ireland. 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 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 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. 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 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. Very few of the local clergy led their congregations to follow. The new body became 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, 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 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.
Between emancipation and the revolution , 1883. The custom of priests saying Mass secretly in people's homes dates to the
penal laws-era. It was especially common in rural areas, and the tradition of the periodic "Station Mass" in private homes still continues in some rural areas. The slow process of reform from 1778 on led to
Catholic emancipation in 1829. By 1800 Ireland was a part of the newly created
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. As part of the
Kingdom of Ireland (
de facto Independent after the
Constitution of 1782),
St Patrick's College, Maynooth 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 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 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 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. , an Irish a major place of pilgrimage based on a significant
Marian apparition 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 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.
Following the partition of Ireland From the time that Ireland achieved independence, the church came to play an increasingly significant social and political role in 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 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 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 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 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 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 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, a liberal journalist who writes for
The Guardian claimed that "the fiction of Ireland as a conservative, dogmatically Catholic country has been shattered". ==Northern Ireland==