The Irish Catholic Diaspora

«The Irish missionary momentum in the 19th century attests to the vitality of a Christian community whose richness and great diversity this book illustrates, with particular emphasis placed on the considerable effort made in the field of education, a privileged way for human promotion and the proclamation of the Gospel.»

(Bernard Ardura, President, Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences)

«This book is a wonderful read: well researched, fascinating, clear, insightful and learned. It is an exceptional testimony of the achievements of the Irish Religious Diaspora. It is fundamental reading during a period in which our country has become a destination country, hosting so many from all parts of the globe. Although a small country on the periphery of Europe, Ireland was capable of projecting its values and culture globally through its diaspora. The Irish religious diaspora, as illustrated so deftly in this book, is a notable example of this throughout the ages. This book informs us and reminds us so well of the extraordinary efforts and tireless endeavours of the Hiberno-Roman missionaries in exporting Irish Catholic values globally over past centuries. The book is a pleasure to read.»

(Patricia O’Brien, Ambassador of Ireland in Rome)

Sourcing the circulation, settlement and influence of the Irish religious groups in continental Europe, the Americas, Australia and South Africa, the volume starts in Lisbon in the sixteenth century. How did Lisbon become the hub of Irish trade and the seat of the Irish Catholic Church in exile after the Reformation? Where did it move on from there in modern and contemporary times? At a time when Irish missionaries have largely returned home to a country that has often been described as «post-Catholic», this collection brings together historians and literary critics who trace the trajectories, destinies, acculturation and shifting senses of identity of Irish Catholic clerics and missionaries across the globe from the sixteenth to the twenty-first centuries. Studies of postwar Europe, Latin America and South Africa show the modern expression of the Irish Catholic missionary movement, as well as some of the same spiritual and ethical preoccupations that are captured in the literary works of some of the most famous French, Irish and Irish-American authors.