The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-1998

Margaret M. Scull

Evaluates the role of the Catholic Church in mediating conflict, using the Northern Ireland Troubles as a case study
Offers a radical new perspective on religious institutions as conflict mediators in the twentieth century
Provides an analysis of key themes in the history of the Catholic Church as they applied during the Troubles
Offers an entangled history approach, analysing the response of both the Irish and the broader global Catholic Churches to the conflict
Includes author-conducted interviews with leading priests, religious women, bishops, former paramilitaries, community organisers, and politicians

The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-1998

Margaret M. Scull

Description

Until surprisingly recently the history of the Irish Catholic Church during the Northern Irish Troubles was written by Irish priests and bishops and was commemorative, rather than analytical. This study uses the Troubles as a case study to evaluate the role of the Catholic Church in mediating conflict.

During the Troubles, these priests and bishops often worked behind the scenes, acting as go-betweens for the British government and republican paramilitaries, to bring about a peaceful solution. However, this study also looks more broadly at the actions of the American, Irish and English Catholic Churches, as well as that of the Vatican, to uncover the full impact of the Church on the conflict. This critical analysis of previously neglected state, Irish, and English Catholic Church archival material changes our perspective on the role of a religious institution in a modern conflict.

The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-1998

Margaret M. Scull

Introduction: 'Religion from Rome, Politics from Home'?
1. 'From Civil Rights to Armalites'
2. 'The demands of justice must be stated before the words of peace find a receptive ground', 1972-1976
3. 'The Men of Violence', 1976-1981
4. '...to remind Catholics that support for the IRA and SF was not compatible with membership of the Catholic Church', 1982-1990
5. 'Let history judge who was to blame', 1990-1998
Conclusion: 'The Church needs to do a reality check'

The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-1998

Margaret M. Scull

Author Information

Margaret M. Scull, Postdoctoral Fellow, Irish Research Council

Margaret M. Scull is an Irish Research Council postdoctoral fellow at NUI Galway. Before joining the Moore Institute she was a Teaching Fellow in Modern British and Irish History at King's College London. Her interdisciplinary research explores the relationship between religion and politics in the contemporary period; particularly the 'soft power' influence religious leaders still possessed in British and Irish politics after the Second World War. Her current project examines the role of funerals throughout the Northern Irish Troubles.

The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-1998

Margaret M. Scull

Reviews and Awards

Winner of the British Association of Irish Studies Book Prize

"The author has looked at a commendably wide range of material and has interviewed some key figures in Church and politics ... these interviews give real insight into the complementarities and antagonisms between the Church, nationalism and republicanism" -- Oliver P. Rafferty SJ, Journal of Ecclesiastical History

"This is an important book and it should certainly be read carefully and mulled over by anyone interested in Northern Ireland specifically and in the intersections between politics and religion more generally, with all of the moral, ethical, and cultural considerations therein." -- Margo Shea, H-Diplo

"Margaret Scull's book The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland Troubles 1968-1998 transcends the parochial view on the Catholic Church during the Northern Ireland Conflict and instead situates it in a transnational framework. Thereby, she challenges established views and provides fresh insight...Scull's book hopefully will rekindle the interest of the Church's role in the conflict and will do away with the stereotype that the conflict was primarily the concern of the Irish Catholic Church with the English Catholic Church playing the part of a bystander." -- Jan Freytag, British Catholic History

"This volume is an important contribution to the scholarship of the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland; it is painstakingly researched and engagingly written...Margaret Scull has made a very significant contribution to the literature of the Northern Irish conflict; it is to be hoped that the book will be widely read and made available in paperback." -- Stephen Hopkins, University of Leicester, Cercles

"Dr Scull has injected fresh impetus into chronicling the often secretive roles played by the Catholic and Protestant Churches in the Irish Troubles." -- John Cooney, The Irish Times

"A rich and carefully-researched new book, The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-1999, offers fresh insights on the changing role of the Catholic Church and the personalities that drove its interventions during that fraught period." -- Gladys Ganiel, slugger o'toole

"It has been some time since Catholicism has been the subject of such a focused academic study." -- Gladys Ganiel, Queen's University Belfast, Slugger O'Toole