One of the enduring memories in the history of the Irish Holocaust is the narrative of proselytism or, as it was known in Ireland, souperism, that is, giving food relief to the Catholic poor in return for their conversion to Protestantism. Proselytism during this period of Irish suffering was undeniably a foul and reprehensible practise. It was associated the Evangelical movement and with the main Protestant churches in Ireland (the Anglican and the Presbyterian). Money was raised in Protestant churches in Britain, Dublin and Belfast for the express purpose of using the tragedy of the potato famine to attack and undermine Catholicism in Ireland. Michael Brannigan, a convert from Catholicism to Presbyterianism, was a fluent Irish speaker. In 1847 he established 12 Protestant ‘Bible schools’ in Counties Mayo and Sligo. Fr. William Flannelly of Galway, wrote a letter to Daniel Murray, Archbishop of Dublin, in April 1849. “It cannot be wondered if a starving people would be perverted in shoals, especially as they [the missionaries] go from cabin to cabin, and when they find the inmates naked and starved to death, they proffer food, money and raiment, on the express condition of becoming members of their conventicle [churches].” Evangelicals claimed 35,000 converts and numerous preachers were dispatched to Ireland by the British Protestant Alliance. Missionary outposts were established in the most in destitute areas, in Ireland such as Dingle and Achill Island, however ‘Supers were shunned ad despised by their own communities, and evangelical impact on Irish Catholicism was, ultimately was negligible Moreover, the memory of souperism, and ‘taking the soup,’ has been a long and bitter one in many parts of Ireland. Below image Queen Victoria Famine Queen Famine Pot Tipperary Hospital Famine Pot on the Grounds of the Hospital in Clougheen , Co Tipperary. Inscription on famine pot Reads, A Plague Wind Blew Across The Land Fever Was In The Air Fields were Black that once were Green And Death was Everywhere 1845-- 1850
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 08:34:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015