John Charles McQuaid: Ruler of Catholic Ireland

by John Cooney

Overview

An in-depth study of the most significant Irish clergyman in the history of the state.

For three decades, 1940-72, as Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland, John Charles McQuaid imposed his iron will on Irish politicians and instilled fear among his clergy and laity. No other churchman amassed the religious, political and social power which he exercised with unscrupulous severity.

An admirer of the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover, Archbishop McQuaid built up a vigilante system that spied on politicians and priests, workers and students, doctors and lawyers, nuns and nurses, soldiers and trade unionists.

There was no room for dissent when John Charles spoke in the name of Jesus Christ. This power was used to build up a Catholic-dominated state in which Protestants, Jews and feminists were not welcome.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780862788117
Publisher:	O'Brien Press, Limited, The
Publication date:	12/02/2009
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	576
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.17(d)

About the Author

John Cooney, a Scot, is a journalist and broadcaster. A former political, European and religious affairs correspondent with The Irish Times, he is the author of The Crozier and the Dáil: Church and State in Ireland, 1922-1986. He has written extensively for The Herald in Glasgow and for the Irish Independent. He is Director of the annual Humbert Summer School, which promotes Irish studies. A history graduate of the University of Glasgow, he is a visiting honorary Research Fellow in Irish history at the University of Aberdeen. He lives in Dublin with his wife and three children.