Roman Catholicism and the Irish in England
In: Immigrants & minorities, Band 18, Heft 2and3
ISSN: 0261-9288
Revisits one of the most important cultural features of the Irish migrant communities of Britain: their Catholicism. Although Protestants accounted for up to one quarter of all immigrant settlers, Catholicism featured prominently in the lives of the majority of migrants. Demonstrates the richness of Irish religious life and the high levels of devotion among these working class migrants and outlines how a distinctive Irish Catholic community was shaped in the nineteenth century and finally disappeared in the 1960s. Overall, it suggests a far greater degree of devotional commitment among Irish migrants than social historians have previously accepted, and sets a number of new agendas for future research. (Original abstract - amended)