Catholic nationalism in the Irish revival

the long version

Canon Sheehan's writings provide valuable insight into Ireland's difficult process of cultural reconstruction after independence. This astute observer of Irish society was pessimistic about the future of religion. Though himself a man of European culture, he made a case for the isolationism to become reality under the Free State. It is a case which today is easily scorned - but his works allow us to understand why it could command such support, and to appreciate its relative historical justification. His particular concern lay in overcoming the social stigma attached to Catholicism and in inculcating in his readers a sense of pride in their religious heritage as the essence of their national identity. His position bears a close resemblance to that of the eighteenth century Anglo-Irish formulators of Irish nationalism, who also assumed that the right of their "nation" to cultural supremacy was self-evident.