The Catholic Church in Developing the Identity of The Republic of Ireland

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The Republic of Ireland cannot be adequately examined without including the large role played by the Catholic Church in political development and policy making. The Catholic Church has validated itself as an influential institution since the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169. The original intent of the invasion served to spread the papacy, and with Ireland, the Church would come to achieve arguably the most Catholic country to exist in the world. The Republic of Ireland evolved through many centuries in order to achieve a true Irish State. The Anglo-Irish War proved significant in achieving the latter goal by ridding the southern sector of Ireland from the centuries of grueling oppressive rule and discrimination under Great Britain law. However, the freedom derived hindered a power struggle plagued by a partitioned Island and continued influence of religion. Consequently, the Irish Civil war exemplifies the continuous battle of accepting a partitioned but dominantly Catholic state instead of a united Irish state. While the role of the Catholic Church has not always directly effected political decisions in the Republic of Ireland, the strong influence has resulted in a country with a distinct and conservative social agenda in comparison to other democracies. The Second Vatican council proved to have a positive influence on social reforms and allowed Ireland to catch up to its European counterparts respectively. The political development and public policy making of Ireland in the 19th and 20th century struggled to emerge with a distinct Irish identity due to the underlining Catholic influence that remained dominant through Vatican II.
The Anglo-Irish War, or the Irish War of Independence, was an outcome that arrived after c...

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Citations
MARTIN, D. (2013). A Post-Catholic Ireland?. America, 208(17), 11.
EDITORIAL. (2004). Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 12(1), 5-14.
FULLER, L. (2005). Religion, Politics and Socio-Cultural Change in Twentieth- Century Ireland. European Legacy, 10(1), 41-54. doi:10.1080/1084877052000321976

KISSANE, B. (2004). DEMOCRATIZATION, STATE FORMATION, AND CIVIL WAR IN FINLAND AND IRELAND. Comparative Political Studies, 37(8), 969-985. doi:10.1177/0010414004267983

GRAY, C. S. (2007). The Anglo-Irish War, 1919-21: Lessons from an Irregular Conflict. Comparative Strategy, 26(5), 371-394. doi:10.1080/01495930701750208

Adshead, M; Millar, M., (2003 ). Ireland as catholic corporatist state: a historical institutional analysis of healthcare in ireland. imerick papers in politics and public administration, (5), http://www.ul.ie/ppa/content/files/258567748.pdf

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