The pastoral role of the Roman Catholic church in pre-Famine Ireland, 1750–1850

Emmet Larkin

Around 1750 profound changes had begun to take place in the social and economic structures in Irish society because of the extraordinary increase in population and the adoption of the potato as the people's staple. This unprecedented growth, in turn, had the effect of creating a class society where the divide was drawn between those who had more than a potato patch and those who did not. The social impact of both this population growth and the creating of a very large subsistence economy presented a massive challenge to the Irish Church in its efforts to respond to the pastoral needs of the Catholic community. How the Irish Church attempted to meet all the various challenges, and was thus uniquely shaped by them, is the central theme of this book.

Emmet Larkin is the professor of British and Irish history at the University of Chicago, and the author of a multi-volume history of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland in the 19th century.