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"Penal Laws" redirects here. For penal law as understood in the English law system see Penal law. In the most general sense penal is the body of laws that are enforced by the State in its own name and impose penalties for their violation as opposed to civil law that seeks

The Penal Laws in Ireland (Irish: Na Péindlíthe) refers to a series of laws imposed under British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of the established Church of Ireland. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. The Church of Ireland (Eaglais na hÉireann is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland. [1]

Contents

Background

English attempts to govern Ireland had long been marked by the passing of various acts to secure its rule: in 1367, the Statutes of Kilkenny sought to prevent the Old English from any further adoption of Gaelic culture, and Poynings Law of 1494 made the Irish parliament subservient to the English one. The Statutes of Kilkenny were a series of thirty-five acts passed at Kilkenny in 1366, aimed at curbing the decline of the Hiberno-Norman Lordship The Old English (Seanghaill were the descendants of the settlers who came to Ireland from Wales, Normandy and England after the Norman Poynings' Law is a parliamentary act initiated by Sir Edward Poynings in the Irish Parliament at Drogheda in 1494. These were approved of by the Holy See. The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic But the English Reformation from 1535 under Henry VIII brought a new religious division to the relationship between Ireland and England, though he also persecuted Protestants. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of His son Edward VI (1553-57) was fully Protestant, and Queen Mary then supported Catholicism in 1553-58, while settling the new 'King's' and Queen's' counties in the midlands. Edward VI (12 October 1537 &ndash 6 July 1553 became King of England and Ireland on 28 January 1547 and was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine Mary I (18 February 1516 &ndash 17 November 1558 was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic County Offaly (Contae Uíbh Fhailí is a County in Leinster, Ireland, bordered by seven other counties Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath County Laois (liːʃ Contae Laoise in Irish) formerly also Laoighis or Leix, is a County in the midlands of Ireland, During her reign it was agreed under the Treaty of Augsburg in 1555 that Europeans should follow their ruler's faith (in Latin, 'Cuius regio, eius religio'). The Peace of Augsburg was a treaty between Ferdinand I, who replaced his brother Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor, and the forces of the Schmalkaldic Cuius regio eius religio is a phrase in Latin that means "Whose region his Religion " She married King Philip II of Spain. Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598

Elizabeth excommunicated in 1570

The confused matter of religious loyalties in England and Ireland continued in the first years of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603). However, after 12 years the Papacy excommunicated her as a heretic in 1570. The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Decades of wars and tensions followed until her death in 1603. Her principal opponent, Philip II of Spain, encouraged Catholic rebellions in Ireland in the 1580s and was offered the kingship of Ireland by some important Gaelic chieftains in 1595, which he refused. Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 Whenever they sought support in Europe, it was a hindrance that the important Irish Catholic families, whether of Gaelic or English descent, had never supplied Rome with a Pope or a Cardinal.

A number of plots from the Ridolfi plot of 1570 to the Gunpowder plot of 1605 failed to kill Elizabeth and her successor James I. The Ridolfi plot was a Roman Catholic plot in 1570 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary I of Scotland. The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 or the Powder Treason, as it was known at the time was a failed Assassination attempt by a group of provincial English James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James Supported to a greater or lesser extent by the Papacy, they caused an atmosphere of official paranoia about Catholics in general, in England as well as Ireland.

In Ireland, new laws were put into force from the late 1500s and coincided with a determined effort to bring all of Ireland under English government for the first time (see Tudor re-conquest of Ireland) and the colonisation of the country in the Plantations of Ireland. Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were established throughout the country by the confiscation of lands occupied by Gaelic clans and Hiberno-Norman dynasties The Penal legislation had a pronounced effect over two centuries, disenfranchising in 1728 the richer part of the majority of the Irish population, who were Roman Catholic, and most Scottish settlers, who were Presbyterian, in favour of the much smaller official Church of Ireland - initially mostly composed of English settlers. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity The Church of Ireland (Eaglais na hÉireann is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland. Though the laws affected adherents of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (who were concentrated in Ulster), their principal victims were the wealthier, landed members of the Roman Catholic Church, whose co-religionists comprised over three quarters of the people on the island. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (or PCI (Eaglais Phreispitéireach in Éirinn, operating seamlessly across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ulster ( Ulaidh ˈkwɪɟɪ ˈʌlˠu / ˈʌlˠi is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in addition to Connacht, Munster and Leinster The English had, intentionally punished the faith of the overwhelming majority of the "mere Irish" (this derived from the Latin 'merus', meaning 'pure'). There was no law forbidding Catholics from converting to the state religion, but few chose to do so. Little attempt was made to convert the poor.

Stuart and Cromwellian rule

Initially, English monarchs were cautious about applying the Penal Laws to Ireland because they needed the support of the Roman Catholic upper classes to put down Gaelic Irish rebellion in the Nine Years War (1594-1603). The Nine Years War (Cogadh na Naoi mBliana in Ireland took place from 1594 to 1603 and is also known as Tyrone's Rebellion. In addition, a significant section of the Roman Catholic aristocracy was Old English who had traditionally been loyal to English rule in Ireland. The Old English (Seanghaill were the descendants of the settlers who came to Ireland from Wales, Normandy and England after the Norman However, the ascent of James I to the English and Irish thrones in 1603 and eventual victory in the Nine Years War saw a series of laws put into force. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James In 1605 the 'Gunpowder Plot' was planned by a tiny group of English Catholics, as James I was also a heretic, and this provided a further justification for laws restricting all Catholics in Ireland, Scotland and England. The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 or the Powder Treason, as it was known at the time was a failed Assassination attempt by a group of provincial English

From 1607, Catholics were barred from holding public office or serving in the army. This meant that the Irish Privy Council and the Lords Justice - who, along with the Lord Deputy of Ireland constituted the government of the country, would in future be Protestants. The Lord Deputy was the King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Kingdom of Ireland. In 1613, the constituencies of the Irish Parliament were altered to give Protestant settlers a majority. The Parliament of Ireland (Irish Parlaimint na hEireann) was a Legislature that existed from mediæval times until 1800. In addition, Roman Catholics had to pay 'recusant fines' for non-attendance at Protestant services. Roman Catholic churches were transferred to the Protestant Church of Ireland. The Church of Ireland (Eaglais na hÉireann is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland. Roman Catholic services, however, were generally tacitly tolerated as long as they were conducted in private. Roman Catholic priests were also tolerated, but bishops (who were usually trained in Roman Catholic Europe) had to conceal their presence in the country. In the 1630s the issue of the 'Graces' arose. Charles I, whose Queen Henrietta Maria was Catholic, levied a vast fee off Irish Catholic landlords to reform the laws, but once the money was paid he lost interest. Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Henrietta Maria ( 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Princess of France and Queen Consort of England, Scotland

Catholic resentment boiled over into the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and was eventually put down in the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649-53. The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted Coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry but developed into inter communal violence between native The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649-53 refers to the re-conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell After the Act of Settlement in 1652, Catholics were barred from membership in the Irish Parliament, had most of their lands confiscated and were banned from living in towns for a short period. The Act for the Settlement of Ireland imposed penalties including death and land confiscation against participants and bystanders of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and subsequent To the Cromwellians, all Catholics were, in turn, heretics. Catholic clergy were expelled from the country and liable to instant execution where found. Many had to attend their devotions at Mass rocks in the countryside. A Mass rock ( Carraig an Aifrinn in Irish) is a stone used in mid-seventeenth century Ireland as a location for Catholic worship Seventeen Catholic martyrs from this period were beatified in 1992. Irish Catholic Martyrs refers to the dozens of people who have been sanctified in varying degrees for dying for their Roman Catholic faith between 1537 and 1714 in Ireland Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar)

1660-1693

Much of this legislation was rescinded after the English Restoration by Charles II (1660-1685), under the "Declaration of Breda" in 1660, in terms of worship and property-owning, but also the first Test Act became law from 1673. The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored Charles II (Charles Stuart 29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685 was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. There are also two contemporary treaties known as the Treaty of Breda. The Test Acts were a series of English Penal laws that served as a Religious test for public office and imposed various civil disabilities on Roman Louis XIV of France increased Protestant paranoia in Europe when he expelled the Huguenots from France in 1685. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent The Edict of Fontainebleau (October 1685 was an Edict issued by Louis XIV of France, also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes of Following the flight from England to Ireland by James II in 1688, the decisions of the Catholic-majority Patriot Parliament of 1688-89 in Dublin included a complete repeal of the 1650s land settlements. James II of England and Ireland James VII of Scotland (14 October 1633 &ndash 16 September 1701 was King of England, King of Scots, Later that same year James The Patriot Parliament of 1689 is the name of the Irish Parliament called by James II during the Williamite war in Ireland. [2] These were reversed after the largely Roman Catholic Jacobites sided with King James and lost the Williamite war in Ireland in 1689-91. The Williamite War in Ireland, also known as the Jacobite War in Ireland and in Ireland as Cogadh an Dá Rí or The War of the Two Kings Both William and Mary were grandchildren of King Charles I, and so the war also decided whether the Catholic or Protestant Stuarts would reign. The name Charles I may refer to Kings Charlemagne, Charles I Holy Roman Emperor (742-814 Charles I of England,

The war ended with the Treaty of Limerick agreed by Sarsfield and Ginkel in October 1691. The Treaty of Limerick ended the Williamite war in Ireland between the Jacobites and the supporters of William of Orange. Patrick Sarsfield (c 1660 &ndash 21 August 1693) created the first Earl of Lucan, Irish Jacobite and soldier belonged to Godert de Ginkell 1st Earl of Athlone, or Godart van Ginkel, and in the Netherlands known as Godard Baron van Reede ( Utrecht, 1630 &ndash [1] This provided in article 1 that:

The Roman Catholics of this kingdom shall enjoy such privileges in the exercise of their religion as are consistent with the laws of Ireland, or as they did enjoy in the reign of king Charles the second: and their majesties, as soon as their affairs will permit them to summon a parliament in this kingdom, will endeavour to procure the said Roman Catholics such farther security in that particular, as may preserve them from any disturbance upon the account of their said religion.

However, these privileges had to be earned by swearing an oath of loyalty to William and Mary, which most Catholics found repugnant from 1693 when the Papacy started supporting the Jacobites. See also William III of England, Mary II of England The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the joint sovereignty over the Kingdom of England Articles 2 and 9 required that:

2. . . . . provided also, that no person whatsoever shall have or enjoy the benefit of this article, that shall neglect or refuse to take the oath of allegiance, made by act of parliament in England, in the first year of the reign of their present majesties, when thereunto required.
9. The oath to be administered to such Roman Catholics as submit to their majesties' government, shall be the oath abovesaid and no other.

At the European level, this war was a part of the War of the Grand Alliance, in which the Papacy supported William III's alliance against France, and on the news of the Battle of the Boyne a Te Deum was sung in thanksgiving at the Vatican. The Nine Years' War (1688–97 – often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg – was a major war of the late 17th The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic William III or William of Orange (14 November 1650 &ndash 8 March 1702 He is informally known in Northern Ireland and Scotland as "King Billy" The Battle of the Boyne (Cath na Bóinne was a turning point in the Williamite claim on the English throne Vatican City, officially the State of the Vatican City (Stato della Città del Vaticano is a Landlocked sovereign City-state whose territory But from 1693 the Papacy changed its policy and supported James against William, and William's policy also moved from a degree of toleration for Roman Catholics to greater hostility. By then, King James was based in France at Saint Germain, and was supported politically and financially byg Louis XIV, the long-standing enemy of William and Mary. For treaties with this name see Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (disambiguation Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the western Religion became an easy way to define a notable family's loyalty to the crown, and so formed the political basis for the ensuing Penal Laws in Ireland.

Ascendancy rule 1691-1778

With the defeat of Catholic attempts to regain power and lands in Ireland, the new Protestant Ascendancy sought to insure dominance with the passing of a number of laws to restrict Catholics and Dissenters . The Protestant Ascendancy is a convenient phrase used when referring to the political economic and social domination of the former Kingdom of Ireland by a minority of great The term dissenter (from the Latin dissentire, “to disagree” labels one who dissents or disagrees in matters of opinion belief etc The son of James II, the Old Pretender, was recognised by the Holy See as the legitimate king of Britain and Ireland until his death in 1766, and Catholics were obliged to support him. Prince James Prince of Wales (James Francis Edward Stuart " The Old Pretender " or " The Old Chevalier " 10 June 1688 – 1 January 1766 was the The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic This provided a further political excuse for the new laws passed after 1695. Among the discriminations now faced by Catholics and Dissenters under the Penal Laws were:

Analysis

The Penal laws were ostensibly passed to displace Catholicism as the majority religion in Ireland, and although the Book of Common Prayer was first translated into Irish in 1608 there was no real desire to convert the majority population to Anglicanism or to proselytise in Irish until the 19th century. The Book of Common Prayer is the common title of a number of prayer books of the Church of England and used throughout the Anglican Communion. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. The lack of effort by the Protestant Ascendancy to actively convert the bulk of the population to Anglicanism, suggests an economic rationale; a greater number of poor Protestants would mean a loss of income as they would have to be supported from the local church tithes which were the source of income for most clergymen. The Protestant Ascendancy is a convenient phrase used when referring to the political economic and social domination of the former Kingdom of Ireland by a minority of great Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs A tithe (from Old English teogoþa "tenth" is a one-tenth part of something paid as a (usually voluntary contribution or as a Tax or levy

The main intended effect of the Penal Laws was to ease the conversion or dispossession of the landed Catholic population. Landed gentry is a term traditionally applied in Britain to those people of a certain type and education who possess land in the form of country estates often (but In 1641 Catholics had owned 60% of land in Ireland and by 1776 Catholic land ownership in Ireland stood at only 5%. In the 1735 census some 30% of Irish declared that they were not Catholics, and it may have appeared that eventually most or all would conform, but in hindsight this was the Protestants' highest point. Conversion from Roman Catholicism to Protestantism occurred sporadically, especially among the gentry usually from material considerations converting to keep the family lands intact, the sincerity of such conversions often open to question. Many sons of the Catholic gentry left for Europe to join the Wild Geese, or were educated for the church at seminaries such as Louvain. Not to be confused with the 1607 Flight of the Earls. The Flight of the Wild Geese refers to the departure of an Irish Jacobite

During the 1745 rebellion in Scotland the viceroy Lord Chesterfield suspended the Penal laws for several months to ensure that Irish Jacobites did not join the revolt. The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings rebellions and wars in the kingdoms of England, Kingdom of Scotland (later the United Kingdom of Great Britain Philip Dormer Stanhope 4th Earl of Chesterfield PC KG ( 22 September 1694 &ndash 24 March 1773) was a British This was a success, and emphasized that London already saw the laws as a political, and not a religious, matter.

Some large Catholic landowners such as the Earl of Antrim were untouched by the penal laws and still own their ancestral lands today. Earl of Antrim is a title that has been created twice both times in the Peerage of Ireland and both times for members of the MacDonnell family originally of Scottish The viscounts of Gormanston held their lands until 1950. Viscount Gormanston is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1478 and is the senior Viscount of Ireland as well as the bearer of the oldest vicomital Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Others of Gaelic origin such as the lords Inchiquin (descendants of Brian Boru), or the Old English lords Dunsany and viscounts Dillon, saved their lands by converting to Protestantism. Baron Inchiquin (pronounced "Inchquin" is one of the older titles in the Peerage of Ireland. Brian mac Cennétig, called Brian Bóruma, ( c 941&ndash23 April 1014 (Brian Boru Brian Bóraimhe was an Irish king who ended the centuries-long domination The title Baron of Dunsany or more commonly Lord Dunsany, is one of the oldest dignities in the Peerage of Ireland, one of just a handful of 13th to 14th century Viscount Dillon, of Costello-Gallen in the County of Mayo is a title in the Peerage of Ireland.

Historians disagree over whether the Penal Laws were a tool of political as opposed to religious repression. Some argue (for instance Eamonn O Ciardha) that they were intended to make Catholics in Ireland powerless and to place landed and political power in Ireland in the hands of an English Anglican settler class. Others (for instance Sean Connolly) argue that it was intended to convert the Irish en masse to the Protestant faith and that it should be likened to the Irish Government's efforts to revive the Irish language since Irish independence. The Government of Ireland (Rialtas na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish.

Gradual reform and emancipation 1778-1869

On the death of the "Old Pretender" in January 1766 the Holy See recognised the Hanoverian dynasty as legitimate, and so the political excuse for the laws was removed and the slow process of Catholic Emancipation began, with the repeal of some of the Penal Laws by the Catholic Relief Acts of 1771, 1778 and 1793. Prince James Prince of Wales (James Francis Edward Stuart " The Old Pretender " or " The Old Chevalier " 10 June 1688 – 1 January 1766 was the Year 1766 ( MDCCLXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic The House of Hanover (the Hanoverians) is a Germanic royal Dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg Catholic Emancipation (Fuascailt na gCaitliceach or Catholic Relief, was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th Roman Catholic Relief Bills were attempted steps of legislation in the United Kingdom towards Catholic Emancipation. However, the long drawn-out pace of reform ensured that the question of religious discrimination dominated Irish life and was a constant source of division. An emerging Catholic middle class also became more vocal, and in 1760 the surviving Catholic gentry founded the first Catholic Committee in Waterford to press for reforms. The Quebec Act of 1774 was an encouragement outside Ireland, with the London parliament restoring religious rights in the main part of Canada, followed in Britain and Ireland by the Catholic Relief Act 1778. The Quebec Act of 1774 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain (citation 14 Geo The Papists Act 1778 is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain (18 George III c Carlow College was established in 1782. St Patricks Carlow College, founded in 1782, by Dr James Keefe, then Roman Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, and his co-adjutor Bishop Daniel Year 1782 ( MDCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

From 1782 reformist Irish Protestant politicians like Henry Grattan, JP Curran, William Ponsonby and Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol (a Protestant bishop), added their voices in support. Henry Grattan (3 July 1746 &ndash 6 June 1821 was a member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the John Philpot Curran ( July 24, 1750 - October 14, 1817) was an Irish Orator and wit born in Newmarket, William Brabazon Ponsonby 1st Baron Ponsonby (of Imokilly, PC(I ( 15 September, 1744 &ndash 5 November, 1806) was a leading Frederick Augustus Hervey 4th Earl of Bristol, PC ( 1 August 1730 &ndash 8 July 1803) known as The Earl-Bishop, was In the English House of Commons Edmund Burke also helped, but was faced with anti-Catholic sentiment which exploded in the Gordon Riots of 1780. Edmund Burke ( 12 January, 1729 9 July, 1797) was an Irish statesman author orator Political theorist, and The Gordon Riots refers to a number of events in a predominantly Protestant religious uprising in London, England, in 1780, aimed against the Year 1780 ( MDCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a In 1792 William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster, the eldest brother of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, founded the 'Association of the friends of liberty' whose program sought Catholic members in the Irish House of Commons. William FitzGerald 2nd Duke of Leinster ( 13 March 1749 &ndash 20 October 1804) KP, PC (I, was an Irish liberal politician Lord Edward FitzGerald (15 October 1763 &ndash 4 June 1798 was an Irish aristocrat and revolutionary The Irish House of Commons was the Lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800 They could not persuade most Protestant MPs to effect a bigger change than the reforms of 1793, where Catholics were now allowed to buy freehold land, to become grand jurors and to vote. In the Common law, a grand jury is a type of Jury which determines whether there is enough evidence for a trial.

Opposition to Catholic Relief ensured that when relief when granted it was often accompanied by what were seen to be unpleasant concessions to the system. Relief in 1793 was accompanied by a widely unpopular Militia Act which removed the ban on Catholics holding firearms to allow for their conscription into the milita, but not their admittance into the officer ranks. However, wealthier Catholics did not oppose this as it was further proof of their gradual inclusion into the establishment.

France declared war on Britain and Ireland in February 1793 and the war took priority over further reliefs. As the French government opposed the Holy See from 1790, and as Irish Catholic priests were often trained in France, the Prime Minister Pitt funded the establishment of St. Patrick's seminary in Maynooth in 1795. The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic St Patrick's College Maynooth ( Irish: Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig Maigh Nuad) is the "National Seminary for Ireland" Pontifical Univerisity and was a Maynooth ( Maigh Nuad in Irish) is a university town located in north County Kildare, Ireland. Year 1795 ( MDCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The French republican policies of "Dechristianization" in 1790-1801 were often similar to Cromwell's anti-Catholic policies in Ireland in the 1650s. The Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution is a conventional description of the results of a number of separate policies conducted by various governments of France between In 1795 the new viceroy the earl of Fitzwilliam proposed full political emancipation as suggested by Grattan, but he was removed within weeks by the hardliners in the Irish administration. Year 1795 ( MDCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a A viceroy is a royal official who governs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the Monarch. William Wentworth-FitzWilliam 2nd and 4th Earl FitzWilliam ( 30 May 1748 – 8 February 1833) was a British Whig Statesman Henry Grattan (3 July 1746 &ndash 6 June 1821 was a member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the

The slow pace of reform was a factor which led to many reformers despairing of peaceful change, particularly the lack of tithe reform, and this led on in part to the failed 1798 rebellion. A tithe (from Old English teogoþa "tenth" is a one-tenth part of something paid as a (usually voluntary contribution or as a Tax or levy The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (Éirí Amach 1798 Turn Oot 1798 or 1798 rebellion as it is known locally was an uprising in 1798 lasting several months against the During the rebellion all the Irish Catholic bishops supported the government. The subsequent passing of the Act of Union of 1801 was supposed to bring Catholic Emancipation, as power was moved from the hands of the Protestant Ascendancy to the London Parliament. The phrase Act of Union 1800 (or sometimes Act of Union 1801) (Acht an Aontais 1800 is used to describe two complementary Acts whose official United Kingdom titles are Catholic Emancipation (Fuascailt na gCaitliceach or Catholic Relief, was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th The Protestant Ascendancy is a convenient phrase used when referring to the political economic and social domination of the former Kingdom of Ireland by a minority of great The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories This was agreed by most of the British Cabinet, including William Pitt, and they resigned when it was not effected. William Pitt may refer to William Pitt 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–1778 Prime Minister of Great Britain 1766–1768 often known as William Pitt the Elder The personal opposition of George III ensured that no change would be forthcoming during his reign. George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places

Emancipation

The political argument for emancipation to allow Catholic MPs to sit in parliament continued after the 1801 Act of Union, supported by liberal MPs such as Henry Grattan. Henry Grattan (3 July 1746 &ndash 6 June 1821 was a member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the Division arose over the "veto", the issue whether the Pope could, or could not, veto the appointment of a bishop where he was approved by the government. A proposed Royal veto of the appointment of bishops was a contentious topic in the politics of the United Kingdom, in the period 1808 to 1829 In May 1823, Daniel O'Connell launched the Catholic Association and campaigned for Catholic emancipation which was largely achieved in 1829, primarily benefitting the middle classes. Daniel O'Connell ( 6 August 1775 &ndash 15 May 1847) ( Dónal Ó Conaill) known as The Liberator, or The Emancipator The Catholic Association was an Irish Roman Catholic political organisation set up by Daniel O'Connell in the early nineteenth century to campaign for Catholic Catholic Emancipation (Fuascailt na gCaitliceach or Catholic Relief, was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th For the game see 1829 (board game. Year 1829 ( MDCCCXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display While this was seen as a late and overdue reform by Irish Catholics, Irish Jewish MPs were barred until 1858 and atheists until 1886. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Atheism

The Act also allowed for Catholic judges and senior civil servants and state officials to be appointed. As with the election of MPs, those who benefitted were the better educated and richer Catholics. The same class took advantage of the reform of town and city corporations in the Act of 1840. The Municipal Corporations Act (Ireland 1840 (3 & 4 Vict c 108 An Act for the Regulation of Municipal Corporations in Ireland, was passed by the Parliament of But for the majority of Irish Catholics living in the countryside, the cost of the tithing system had always been the main cause of complaint.

Tithe reform

The obligation by Catholics and other religious groups to pay tithes to the Protestant Church remained until its disestablishment in 1869 and Catholic Emancipation was quickly followed by a period of violent resistance known as the Tithe War. A tithe (from Old English teogoþa "tenth" is a one-tenth part of something paid as a (usually voluntary contribution or as a Tax or levy The Irish Church Disestablishment Act 1869 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed during William Gladstone 's administration The Tithe War in Ireland ( 1831-36) refers to a series of periodic skirmishes and violent incidents connected to resistance to the obligation of Catholics From 1840 tithes were no longer payable by tenants but by their landlords, who were allowed to increase rents to make up the difference. The Catholic Church became resurgent from the 1840s, uniting with the Protestant churches to oppose the integration of students of differing religion in the new primary or 'National' schools, and in the 1850s a debate arose over whether some proposed universities should be mixed or just for Catholics.

Continuing effect in 1920

In May 1920 Seán T. O'Kelly sent a memorandum to Pope Benedict XV which included:

The position of Irish Catholics is a cruel one. Seán Thomas O'Kelly (Seán Tomás Ó Ceallaigh 25 August 1882–23 November 1966 was the second President of Ireland (1945–1959 Pope Benedict XV ( Latin: Benedictus PP XV) (Benedetto XV ( November 21 1854 &ndash January 22 1922 born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa We are enslaved by a Protestant power. The penal laws against our religion are not yet abolished in full. The injurious social and economic results of these anti-Catholic laws will not be overcome for generations. To the present day we suffer political injury inside and outside of Ireland, simply and solely because we are practicing Catholics. Sons of martyrs, we are known in every Masonic lodge and every anti-Catholic country as 'Papists', and par-excellence, the most devoted of all the children of the Holy See. [3]

At that time the British envoy to the Holy See was the Count de Salis, a Catholic landowner in counties Limerick and Armagh. Sir John Francis Charles de Salis 7th Count CMG CVO (1909 KCMG (1913(19 July 1864 - 14 January 1939 Limerick (pronounced /ˈlɪmrɪk/ Luimneach in Irish) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the Province of Munster The City of Armagh ( is an ancient religious site of worship of both celtic paganism and Christianity and the oldest of the five cities in Northern Ireland,

References

  1. ^ T. A. Jackson, Ireland Her Own, Lawerence & Wishart, London, ISBN 0 85315 735 9
  2. ^ Declaratory and Repeal Acts 1689
  3. ^ Letter of May 1920
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