The diocese of Killaloe, 1850-1904 / Ignatius Murphy.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

This concluding volume of Monsignor Murphy's magisterial history of the diocese of Killaloe was in manuscript form at the time of the author's early death in 1993. Appendices were later added by the Publications Committee which assisted him throughout the course of this project (the two earlier volumes covered the 18th century and the period 1800-1850). The Synod of Thurles in 1850 occupies most of the opening chapter. Disagreements at this event were symptomatic of the growing tension between Archbishops Cullen and some of his fellow bishops. Tension and conflict was certainly not confined to the Synod of Thurles. The second half of the 19th century saw the Fenian conflicts of the 1850 and '60s, and strife over land and tenancy leading to the foundation of the Land League in the late-1870s, the first Clare branch being established in Feakle in 1879. The century ended in political conflict with the Parnellite Split. Monsignor Murphy always seems to succeed in placing the local happening so that it fits easily into the wider canvas of national events. There is, however, a great deal else besides the tension and conflict. The growth and contributions of the Sisters of Mercy, of the Christian Brothers and other Religious are told with obvious satisfaction. The extraordinary phenomenon of the missions preached mainly by Jesuits from 1852 onwards gives us some idea of why the parish mission was such an important happening in the Irish parish up to recent times. Whether conflict or achievement, the facts are always described with an authority which can only arise from painstaking research