Freedom and the Fifth Commandment: Catholic Priests and Political Violence in Ireland, 1919-21

Brian Heffernan

ISBN 10: 0719090482 / ISBN 13: 9780719090486

Published by Manchester University Press, 2014

About this Item

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Seller Inventory # B9780719090486

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Freedom and the Fifth Commandment: Catholic Priests and Political Violence in Ireland, 1919-21
• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0719090482
• ISBN 13: 9780719090486
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 540 grams

About this title

Synopsis

The guerilla war waged between the IRA and the crown forces between 1919 and 1921 was a pivotal episode in the modern history of Ireland. This book addresses the War of Independence from a new perspective by focusing on the attitude of a powerful social elite: the Catholic clergy.

The close relationship between Irish nationalism and Catholicism was put to the test when a pugnacious new republicanism emerged after the 1916 Easter rising. When the IRA and the crown forces became involved in a guerilla war between 1919 and 1921, priests had to define their position anew.

Using a wealth of source material, much of it newly available, this book assesses the clergy’s response to political violence. It describes how the image of shared victimhood at the hands of the British helped to contain tensions between the clergy and the republican movement, and shows how the links between Catholicism and Irish nationalism were sustained.

About the Author

Brian Heffernan is a historian of religion who has published on modern Catholicism in Ireland and the Netherlands