Podcasts about penal laws

Over the past three decades, the Catholic Church has been engulfed by numerous sexual abuse scandals and accusations of power abuse. This has prompted many to question how it initially gained such influence in Ireland. In this podcast, I delve into the history of the Catholic Church within modern Irish society. While its influence is often linked to the post-Irish Independence era of the 1920s, the foundations of Catholic power extend much further back. This episode charts the Church's dramatic rise since the 1780s, when it emerged from the Penal Laws and decades of repression. I reveal how it skillfully navigated through rebellions, the Great Hunger, and the struggle for independence, growing stronger with each crisis. Additionally, I explore the complex relationship between the Church and the British Empire, where bitter enmity in the 1700s transformed into a strategic partnership—a marriage of convenience that reshaped Irish history.Support the show at Patreon.com/irishpodcast Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Chatechesis, Martin, alongside Father Timothy Bartlett, the parish priest of Saint Mary's in Belfast, explores the rich history and spiritual significance of the church. Father Timothy shares the church's unique foundation, which arose during the Penal Laws, supported by both Catholic and Presbyterian communities. L'articolo E1104 | Chatechesis – Fr Martin -Saint Mary's: A Journey of Faith and History in Belfast proviene da Radio Maria.

During the Penal times primitive churches were erected in secluded places such as glens, valleys and shorelines out of the eyeshot of the English Soldiers. Built sometimes of available material such as mud and in cases roofs of sod or straw or willow woven depending on the area and the material around the area that would have been suitable for use. Priests were being hunted down and hung the practice during the Penal Laws with lookouts being posted along ditches, hillsides and pathways to spot the approaching English Redcoats approaching with their horses.  Danny Houlihan in this episode examines the small but important history of the area of North Kerry once more which was forgotten where a number of such mass houses were located and the brief history involved in their story. Mass was said in the shade of a ditch near Dillanes land not far away from the famous seaside resort of Ballybunion and the other site Gleann Na Dtalamh The Glen of The High land where a mass house was erected with a free flowing stream near it which meandered its way to the high cliffs facing the Shannon Estuary North Kerry Ireland.  One of these site priests were buried there a Father O Keeffe from County Cork and a Fr O Connor the names lost in time. Using the the poem in Irish by the late Sean Mac Fheorais teacher and Irish Poet born in the year of 1915-1984 this poem Anseo I Lar An Gleanna paints a poetic picture of the serious time of the Penal Times in Ireland. Danny once again using old sourced information and history backed up with his music reinforces the picture and the poem of the period.Thanks to the County Kildare Library Service, and all who supplied information for this episode. This episode like others will be updated as more information arrives. Note the translation in this episode is like others in our national language is open to Interpretation.

Send us a Text Message.Under the Penal Laws, the Irish Catholics could not hold commission in the army, enter a profession, or own a horse worth more than five pounds. Catholics could not possess weaponry and arms, could not study law or medicine, and could not speak or read Gaelic or play Irish music.  The law around land ownership and how it was inherited cause 90% of the population to own only 10% of the land.  It caused widespread poverty, hunger, homelessness and immigration.  People from other countries traveling in Ireland and reporting on their observations could not believe the deplorable inhumane conditions the British were inflicting.  Through it all, the resilient Irish people went from oppression to nationalism! Support the Show.Irish Mythology - Mythical Cycle - Book of Invasions

durée : 00:06:49 - Tendez l'oreille du samedi 20 avril 2024 - par : Christophe Dilys - L'établissement des Penal Laws à la fin du XVIIe siècle a failli mettre un terme à la culture irlandaise (chants, dances, contes). Heureusement la résistance, sous forme de Dancing Masters, a su lutter contre l'oubli obligatoire de la dance. Quant au violon, il a été remplacé par le "lilting".

Send us a Text Message.Cromwell remains a controversial figure due to his use of the army to acquire political power, and the brutality of his 1649 campaign in Ireland.  He had men torched taking refuge in a church and slaughtered civilians.  He also, instituted the Penal Laws.The penal laws were, according to Edmund Burke, Anglo-Irish statesman and philosopher  "a machine of wise and elaborate contrivance, as well fitted for the oppression, impoverishment and degradation of a people, and the debasement in them of human nature itself, as ever proceeded from the perverted ingenuity of man."Support the Show.Irish Mythology - Mythical Cycle - Book of Invasions

15th March, 2024 – Join Thomas Murphy to discover the amazing heritage of our Catholic Faith! Today, Thomas discusses Father Nicholas Sheehy, an Irish Martyr who opposed the Penal Laws. The Catholic Heritage Hour is brought to you by the Catholic Heritage Association of Ireland.  Listen in live every Friday at 3:20 PM or every […] The post E215 | Catholic Heritage Hour – Thomas Murphy appeared first on Radio Maria Ireland.

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Our Lady of Guadalupe proclaimed the Gospel in “mother tongue,” Pope Francis said Wednesday in a message that highlighted the important role mothers play in passing on the faith to the next generation. In his catechesis on evangelization on August 23, the pope spoke about how the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531 helped to spread the Gospel across the Americas, praising her as an inspired model of motherhood and inculturation. Pope Francis said the Virgin Mary always “consoles us, makes us go forward and thus allows us to grow, like a good mother who, while following in her son's steps, launches him into the world's challenges.” Pope Francis underscored the importance of Marian shrines and pilgrimage destinations, like the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, as places where the Gospel continues to be proclaimed today. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255164/pope-francis-like-our-lady-of-guadalupe-mothers-can-be-great-evangelizers-today South Carolina's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a law protecting unborn babies with detectable heartbeats from abortion is constitutional and can go into effect. The ruling ended a circuit court's injunction that had temporarily blocked the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act, which was signed by Republican Governor Henry McMaster in May. Planned Parenthood and Greenville Women's Clinic had requested the injunction, claiming the law violates constitutional rights to privacy, equal protection, and substantive due process. The 4-1 ruling is a victory for pro-life legislators in the state, which passed a similar law in 2021. That law was blocked more than a year later and struck down by the state Supreme Court in January of this year. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255168/south-carolina-supreme-court-upholds-heartbeat-abortion-ban-life-is-winning Irish-American Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York celebrated Mass at a “Mass rock” in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, during a pilgrimage on Monday. During the 16th and 18th centuries, under the Penal Laws, all expressions of the Catholic faith were prohibited in Ireland. Priests risked fines, imprisonment, and death for celebrating Mass. This forced priests to celebrate Mass outdoors, in secret locations, using rocks as makeshift altars. Many of these “Mass rocks” are still in existence today and serve as a symbol of the hardships Irish Catholics endured during British rule. During the Mass for the group of pilgrims, Dolan emphasized the importance of the Eucharist. Dolan will conclude the pilgrimage today by celebrating Mass on the 150th anniversary of the dedication of Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, Ireland, which took place on August 24, 1873. The Mass will take place on Sunday, August 27, at 11 am local time and is open to the public. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255167/cardinal-timothy-dolan-celebrates-mass-at-historic-mass-rock-during-pilgrimage-to-ireland Today, the Church celebrates Saint Bartholomew, one of the Twelve Apostles, mentioned sixth in the three Gospel lists. Besides being listed as an Apostle, he is not otherwise mentioned in the New Testament, at least not under the name Bartholomew: many ancient writers, and Catholic tradition have identified Bartholomew as Nathaniel in the Gospel of John. We are presented with the Apostle's character in a brief and beautiful dialogue with the Lord Jesus. He is a good Jew, honest and innocent, a just man, who devotes much time to quiet reflection and prayer - "under the fig tree" - and has been awaiting the Messiah, the Holy One of God. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-bartholomew-apostle-569

A poignant and fascinating talk on the history of the Irish Catholic Church under the Penal Laws presented by Naill Martin and hosted by Edmund Zengeni.

2022 should be marked down as the year when we eventually got rid of the last of  England's Penal Laws imposed upon us in 1737. Well done An Dream Dearg and everyone else for bringing colour, vitality, good humour, cheerfulness, success and fun to this achievement. Leanagaí ar aghaigh. 

Our Story This trio of stories about holy wells, faith, and illness traces the evolution–or perhaps the devolution–of folk belief and the power ascribed to sacred waters and places. Our guest Elizabeth Stack begins with two stories from Tipperary: a teenaged boy cured at St. Patrick's Well in Clonmel and a weeping statue of Mother Mary in Templemore during the Irish War of Independence. Elizabeth closes with a story of her grandmother's family, when a young child died of a mysterious illness in Limerick in 1920.  Our Guest Elizabeth Stack is the Executive Director of the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany, NY. Previously, she taught Irish and Irish American History and was an Associate Director of the Institute of Irish Studies at Fordham. She completed her PhD at Fordham, writing about Irish and German immigrants in New York at the turn of the twentieth century. She has a master's degree in Anglo-Irish Relations in the 20th Century from University College Dublin. A native of Listowel, in Co. Kerry, Elizabeth sees a clear connection between her own experience as an immigrant - she moved to the US in 2009 - and with the important mission of the museum to preserve and share Irish heritage and culture.  Find the Museum at http://www.irish-us.org (www.irish-us.org) on https://www.facebook.com/IrishAmericaMus (Facebook) and on https://twitter.com/IrishAmericaMus (Twitte)r. Subscribe to their https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-PPDoD7UXoHbNJfzBjlSkA (YouTube channel) Our Conversation During the centuries of Penal Laws, Irish Catholicism was a strange blend of paganism and what could be remembered from the Latin church. The Devotional Revolution of the mid-nineteenth century crystalized the version of Irish Catholicism we've known in recent history. This was further with Ireland's first president, Éamon de Valera and his insular vision of Ireland.  The way pilgrims flocked to Templemore in the midst of a war when the town was full of IRA and Black and Tan forces. Michael Collins's role in the investigation of the Marian apparitions. The 1920s, when Elizabeth's grandmother was a child, was a time of restriction when dances at the crossroads were banned and women feared being sent to the Magdalene Laundries. Her stories of growing up contained “a kind of darkness.” She despised and denied Frank McCourt's description of Limerick in Angela's Ashes, but perhaps because it was too close to home. Now, Ireland is more progressive than Irish America. In Ireland, where mass attendance is down and there are few priests, and same sex marriage was accepted by a national vote, you'll find a more welcoming, less structured version of the church. It's a conscious return to the original Celtic Christianity.  Ireland didn't have a witch burning phenomenon because herbal medicine and other forms of “women's healing” were commonplace rather than strange and suspect.  The clash and blend of the matriarchal society and patriarchal government and church. In the tradition of the warrior goddesses who trained Cú Chullain, Scathach and Aoife, women were deeply involved in the 1916 rebellion, but they were excluded from public life in the Irish Republic. The evolution of the Irish American Heritage Museum and its mission of creating empathy for all people enduring hunger, exclusion, and exile. It is not intended to be a shrine to a misremembered past. Our Music Music at the start of the show is by Beth Sweeney and Billy Hardy, a Celtic Fiddle and multi-instrumental duo based on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The traditional Irish reel we play at the start of the show is called "The College Groves." https://www.knotworkstorytelling.com/episode/billyandbeth.com (billyandbeth.com) Work with MarisaMarisa offers 1:1 coaching for Personal and Professional growth with her https://www.marisagoudy.com/healing-for-heroines (Healing for Heroines) packages. She also...

Our Story In a departure from our usual format, our guest Christian Bolden tells a personal story of visiting Ireland for the first time as a graduate student. He describes his experience as an African American in Dublin in 2016, a moment when three events captured attention: the US presidential election, the killing of Alton Sterling, and the death of Muhammad Ali.  Christian's story echoes that of Frederick Douglass, the Black abolitionist, who traveled to Ireland on an extensive speaking tour when he was a young man in 1845. Douglass found kinship with Daniel O'Connell, “The Liberator” who devoted his life to the repeal of the Penal Laws that inhibited the rights of Irish Catholics for centuries. Our Guest  Hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, Christian Bolden now resides in Washington D.C. due to the catastrophic events of Hurricane Katrina. Christian is an inaugural board member of the African-American Irish Diaspora Network (AAIDN) with a mission dedicated to fostering relationships between African Americans and Ireland through shared heritage and culture. You'll hear a lot more about the organization during our conversation.  The AAIDN is just one aspect of Christian's community-building work. He has also been part of the Steel Sharpens Steel Summit a panel discussion committed to the enlightenment and enrichment of the Urban African-American Male Teen. He organized the "Re-New Orleans" event which commemorated the 5-Year Hurricane Katrina Anniversary and raised funding and awareness for the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Relief effort. A former Professional Staff Member in the U.S. House of Representatives, Bolden is now Principal at The Bolden Group which offers IT, Program/Project Management, and DEI services.  Our Conversation The way we find kinship with historical and mythical figures.  Frederick Douglass visited Ireland with a hope that there would be a sympathy for the abolitionist cause because there were echoes in the persecution of Catholics in Ireland. It's incorrect and deeply problematic to equate the experience of the Irish immigrants with African people who were brought to America as slaves, and yet there's something to learn when we see that there are similarities in aspects of the history.   The power of curiosity in cross-cultural conversations.  How Christian became a AAIDN, whose mission is to connect Ireland and African American communities. 38% of African Americans have Irish ancestry. One of their main projects includes the creation of the https://www.aaidnet.org/frederickdouglassway (Frederick Douglass Way) in Dublin, Cork, and Belfast with professor Christine Kinealy.  Diversity is about as more than demographic - it's about diversity in experience and in ideas 2020 discovery by archaeologists and geneticists:https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/early-irish-people-were-dark-skinned-with-blue-eyes-documentary-1.4541124 ( the Irish of 10,000 years ago had black skin and blue eyes). More stories about Black people in northern Europe across history: Bonnie Greer's podcasthttps://amzn.to/3dZsCtg ( In Search of Black History) Connections across centuries and millennia For the record, the oldest pub in Dublin is the Brazen Head! Learn more about the AAIDN https://www.aaidnet.org/board (www.aaidnet.org/) and find them on https://www.instagram.com/aaidnet/ (Instagram @aaidnet ) Find Christian on https://www.instagram.com/chrisvschristian%20/?hl=en (Instagram @chrisvschristian,) https://www.facebook.com/ChristianBolden84/ (Facebook), and https://twitter.com/ChristianBolden (Twitter)

A ‘barn church' built during the days of the Penal Laws in England provides a lesson in history Read/Listen to The Far East - July 2022 for stories, articles and photos from those countries where the Columban missionaries work. #columban #mission #catholic #peace #justice #faith #ecology #covid19 The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty. SUBSCRIBE TO 'THE FAR EAST' MAGAZINE: http://goo.gl/5ukmQK

Location: 53.45278, -8.08888 A superb example of a well-maintained holy well in the centre of the village. Good location for a refreshment break. This well is one of the earliest Christian sites in Ireland and has a traditional Pattern day on the last Sunday of July (Garland Sunday). Pilgrimage to this well helped Roman Catholics preserve their faith in the difficult years of the Penal Laws. Local folklore has it that the fine 17th Century coat-of-arms of Randall McDonnell, the Earl of Antrim, erected in 1625 and found beside the well, is in recognition of a favour granted. The water has no known curative powers but is visited infrequently by women for fertility purposes. 

In this episode Danny takes a short look back at the Penal Times, and the effect it had on the Irish people in the area called Gleann Na dtalamh. The old Mass Houses that were knocked and the old customs that the people had area now gone and forgotten. The tradition of celebrating mass in glens and valleys and mass rocks during those harsh Penal Times is related.  This again is a brief look at one of many periods in the area North of Ballybunion. This research is ongoing preserving the precious past we have left. Danny will be back to dig deep into the Penal Laws in a future episode this is just a snapshot of the time.

"Ireland: Beginning in the late seventeenth century, the British government passed a series of anti-Catholic laws in Ireland known as the Penal Laws. The first of these was passed in 1695. This was followed in 1697 by the Bishops' Banishment Act, and in 1704 by the Act to Prevent the Further Growth of Property. The Penal Laws were designed to force Catholics to the lowest socioeconomic status. For example, under the Penal Laws, Catholics were not allowed to own a horse worth more than five pounds. Furthermore, any Catholic who was offered five pounds for a horse was required to sell it. Catholics were also prohibited from possessing arms. Only Protestants were allowed to hold political positions or allowed to practice law. Catholics were excluded from political power and they were not allowed to be members of a grand jury. Catholics were not allowed to vote in parliamentary elections. The land laws also served to divide the Catholics by conferring extraordinary privileges on any member of a Catholic family who became a Protestant. For example, an eldest son could deprive his father of the management and disposal of his property by becoming a Protestant. Bishops and members of Catholic religious orders were banished from the island. Ordinary priests had to register their names and parishes and were required to promise that they would uphold the law. Only one priest was allowed per parish. No new Catholic clergy were allowed to enter the country. Since bishops were required for ordination and with no Catholic education allowed, it was assumed that the Catholic clergy would die out within a generation. However, the laws were not rigidly enforced nor was there any attempt to promote the conversion of the Catholic masses to Protestantism. By the 1720s, Catholic priests and bishops operated fairly freely, but discreetly, in much of Ireland. The United States: The policy of the United States with regard to American Indians has assumed that “civilizing” the Indians so that they could be assimilated into American culture required them to become Christians, preferably Protestant Christians. The United States government actively encouraged and financially supported missionary efforts on Indian reservations. The period of time from 1870 to 1934 can be considered the Dark Ages for American Indian Religious Freedom. During this time, the active suppression of American Indian religions reached its peak. While the government had always supported missionary efforts, conversion of Indians and suppression of Indian religions took a new dimension with the implementation of President Ulysses Grant's Peace Policy in 1870. Under the policy, a single Christian denomination would become responsible for administering all Indian programs on each reservation and would have a monopoly on proselytization. There was no concern at this time for either the existence or validity of any Indian religions. In fact, Indian religious leaders were seen as barriers to progress and could be jailed for expressing their religious concerns." --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/support

The continued ban on people attending church services has been compared to the Penal Laws introduced in Ireland by the British. Paul Coughlan from Ballygawley in Sligo, a regular massgoer, says on this occasion, however, it's the Irish Government who are imposing such laws

In this episode we discuss the long history of landlords in Ireland. Henna gives a timeline of landlords in Ireland, discussing how this is a huge part of Irish oppression. She explains the Penal Laws and the tenements in Dublin, and we chat about how this all compares to landlords and tenancy in the country today. Annaig delves into the topic of the conflict of interest that comes with government powers and officials being landlords and how this could impact the rules and regulations surrounding evictions and rent increases. We also take a look at how the government has handled rent and tenancy during the Covid-19 pandemic.If you, or anyone you know, is affected by the topics discussed in this episode or this lockdown, please visit - http://doras.org/our-services/ for Direct Provision support and https://www.threshold.ie/housing-supports/dublin.html for tenancy supportCrisis helplines - https://www.3ts.ie/need-help/crisis-helplines/Substance abuse helplines - https://spunout.ie/help/service/drugs-alcohol-helplineDomestic/sexual/other abuse - https://spunout.ie/help/categories/abuse-support-servicesSources -https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/children-s-hospital-assured-of-indemnity-over-puberty-blockers-1.4501430 https://news.sky.com/story/outrage-in-india-over-latest-honour-killing-as-father-beheads-daughter-after-finding-her-with-man-12236436 https://news.sky.com/story/feather-in-the-cap-for-worlds-oldest-bird-as-she-hatches-chick-aged-70-12236409https://metro.co.uk/2021/03/04/goats-that-took-over-welsh-town-are-now-shopping-at-primark-14186274/ https://extra.ie/2019/12/07/news/politics/landlord-tds-housing-homelesshttps://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30990423.htmlhttps://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/tenancies_and_covid19.htmlhttps://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/no-proper-explanation-given-for-almost-1bn-going-to-landlords-in-budget-green-td-says-1.4382310https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20467178.htmlhttps://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/a-short-history-of-renting-in-ireland-1.2432123 https://www.enjoy-irish-culture.com/Irish-potato-famine-murder.html https://www.yourirish.com/history/17th-century/introduction-of-anti-catholic-penal-laws https://www.thejournal.ie/daft-latest-rental-report-2019-4886754-Nov2019

In this episode, the Histories of the Unexpected duo, James and Sam, make their way through the archives to investigate the wonderfully pleasant expected history of FRIENDSHIP! Which is all about Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie and friendship at first sight; it's about diary-writing, letter-writing and the history of emotions, as well as bereavement, falling in love; it's about Francis Bacon, Cicero and political; as well as Penal Laws and the Catholics in eighteenth-century Ireland, and of course it's also all about the history of cycling clubs! Of course it is! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, the Histories of the Unexpected duo, James and Sam, make their way through the archives to investigate the wonderfully pleasant expected history of FRIENDSHIP! Which is all about Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie and friendship at first sight; it's about diary-writing, letter-writing and the history of emotions, as well as bereavement, falling in love; it's about Francis Bacon, Cicero and political; as well as Penal Laws and the Catholics in eighteenth-century Ireland, and of course it's also all about the history of cycling clubs! Of course it is! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

1) His week that was- Kevin Healy 2) Clarie O'Shea and the penal laws- Shirley Winters, Spirit of Eureks 3) Commentary on current world affairs- Joan Coxsedge 4) Part 2 of interview with peace activist Dale Hess 5) Invitation to launch of the book High Voltage Women with Debbie Brennan

Please never go to a Administrative Agency Court (Municipal courts, Traffic Courts, City Clerk Courts) with rights to travel court cases laws, when you know there no jury, no court reporter in their venue , why I said this because the Administrator Clerk aka Municipal Judge, Traffic Judge, and City Judge are there only to here DMV traffic violations, city ordinances code violations, county code ordinances which is all Penal Laws under the Judicial Act of 1790 I believe which means it a Administration hearing once you step in their doorstep, but every county in the United states of America offers you remedy call " Small Claims Courts or Civil Courts " in your county where you live at, and county clerk officers have it now where you can do a Counterclaim suit under Plaintiff in Error by Discover of Fraud against the Administrator Clerk aka Municipal judge, Traffic Judge, City Judge, including the prosecutor, and law enforcement's can be sued in a county clerk small claims court plus you will have a grand jury, and court reporter on public records

Our fears reveal quite a lot about us. It reveals our biases, our phobias, weaknesses, and our privilege. What we fear sheds a light on the worst part of us. The really ugly part. There are conversations that I have had that come to mind. However, if I am too ashamed to share the worst part of myself then I certainly have no right to share the worst part of others. Suffice it to say at the end of these conversations I had one thought. Perhaps, what we fear says a lot about our station in life and our inherent privilege. What a privilege it must be that your worries and fears are not about what you don’t have, but what you do have and what you are worried will be taken away from you. There may be no logic or reason for this fear, but there it lies. Those who have the most in our society are perhaps those who fear the most. Building walls around their money, their families, and their power. How this contrasts with the fears of those who have nothing I am not too sure. I know what it feels to have not a lot, but “not a lot” is a far cry from nothing and “not a lot” is highly relative. Perhaps, if one has nothing, one goes beyond a state of fear. Fear is a luxury and one’s actions move in a direction that is motivated solely by getting to a place in which you have something rather than nothing. If we were to consider individuals who have nothing, perhaps the most appropriate indicators of nothingness is whether or not that individual lives under a government that acknowledges and respects their inalienable rights. If you have no right to vote, no right to hold office, no right to own land, no right to own property, no right to worship, and no right to your own language then in reality you are living under conditions in which nothing is really yours. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century this was the reality for Irish Catholics. After a series of failed Irish uprisings against British rule, the British government imposed, what is called, the Penal Laws which quickly stripped the Irish Catholics of their rights. These laws were devastating to the Irish Catholic community. In 1640, over 50% of land in Ireland was owned by Catholics, by the mid 18th century this number decreased to just 7%. The intention of the Penal Laws was to push Irish Catholics into a permanent state of subjectification, and in turn remove a perceived threat to British Rule and the English homeland. You see, that’s the funny thing. Over the centuries, Irish Catholics had fought against the English for the sole purpose of regaining autonomy and control over their own land and their own country. However, the English did not see it that way. The English saw Irish rebellion as an existential threat to England’s power. How the English could confuse a fight for freedom with a fight to invade is curious. At the very least it takes an absolute lack of empathy and complete self-involvement for the English to see themselves as the threatened ones in this situation. They were the colonialists and yet they were worried about being colonized. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb11KxSGQpk After two centuries of living under the punishment of the Penal Laws Irish Catholics made a strange bedfellow with Irish Presbyterians, who also felt that they were being unduly treated by their British overlords. Together they formed the United Irishmen to fight for emancipation under the Penal Laws and for a free Irish Republic. With their diplomatic efforts squashed in 1798 the Irish turned to violent Rebellion once more. There is a poem written about the 1798 Rebellion titled “The Wind That Shakes The Barley”, and it reminds me of why I’ve never really been much of a fan of a lot of poetry. Essentially this is how the poem goes. Boy loves Girl. Boy loves Country. Boy hates the British. Boy decides to fight for country, but boy doesn’t want to leave girl. Girl gets shot. Girl dies. Boy fights for country. Boy dies. The end. (Play song)  The imagery that is stitched throughout...

See http://www.president.ie/en/diary/details/president-visits-presentation-primary-school-on-the-occasion-of-their-250th The President visited Presentation Primary School in Dublin, founded by Teresa Mulally in defiance of the Penal Laws of the time, and supported by the Presentation Sisters who have been trustees of the school since. In his speech, the President praised the courage and vision of the school's founders and reflected on the skills and vision needed for today's generations, as they face local and global challenges.

Known as "the Father of the American Navy," John Barry's story is a saga of storms at sea, the smoke of battle, political intrigue, and family crises, taking place in Ireland under the draconian Penal Laws, exotic China, and the rough and tumble birth of the United States — with more than its share of humor thrown in.

John interviews Sr Elizabeth Ryan from the Presentation sisters who were celebrating 175 years in Limerick. The Presentation Sisters were formed in Cork city by Nano Nagle - the Woman of the Lantern - in 1775. Nano Nagle founded the Institute of the Charitable Instruction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, 1775, in Cork, Ireland in response to the need to provide basic education to Catholic children in the city who due to the Penal Laws had no access to education. This foundation was the fruit of more than twenty years of loving service to the poor of that city where she had founded her first school as a lay woman, in 1754. Sr Elizabeth tell us the story of this great pioneer of education. To-day, Nano Nagle is regarded as one of the great pioneers of Catholic education. Her work laid the foundation for a voluntary school system in Ireland and for the wide range of ministries to which Presentation Sisters around the world remain committed to this day. Her spirit and tradition continue to inspire Presentation Sisters and Friends of Nano everywhere. The sisters came to Sexton Street and opened a small school assisted by Maria King in 1837 who invited them from Cork to work in Limerick City. Currently there are 52 Presentation houses in the province, 272 sisters and a large number of Associate members and Colleagues.