Sample Answer for Eucharistic Congress and education impact on Irish identity 1922-49

Essay Plan

INTRO:

• Language, education, religion crucial for Irish identity
• Catholicism as badge of identity distinguishing from British
• Vital for pursuit of independence
• 1893: Gaelic League establishment
• Free State 1922
• Irish government re-emphasis on Irish as the native tongue
• Bishops' influence on public morality and politics
• Significant events like Eucharistic Congress

BODY PARAGRAPHS:

1. Re-establishing Native Language
2. Irish in Education System
3. Irish as Official Language
4. New Education System
5. Religion's Influence on Education and Government Policy
6. Eucharistic Congress (1932)
7. Preparation for Congress
8. Congress Formally Begins
9. Impact of Congress
10. The North

CONCLUSION:

• Language, education, and religion: Politics, Society, Culture
• Gaelic language revival continues by Cnag, Fianna Fáil, Catholic Church
• Influence censorship, education language
• Church, State relationship and influence
• Northern Protestant dominance, Catholic minority and loyalty
• Irish cultural identity, English-speaking Western world, St Paddy's

Sample Essay

During 1922-49, the Irish Free State's policies on education and language, along with the 1932 Eucharistic Congress, contributed massively to Irish identity. Cultural nationalists saw the Irish language and Catholicism as essential parts of their identity and means to separate themselves from Britain. The Gaelic League, established in 1893, played a significant role in the revival of the Irish language. The Free State established the Department of Education in 1924 to revive the language through schooling. Catholicism was also a dominant force in Irish political life, and both religion and language were deemed essential for the pursuit of Irish sovereignty.

Cumann na nGaedheal was the first government to run the Free State, and one of their aims was to incorporate Irish into daily life. One first step was changing place names back to Irish on signs. By doing this, the public began to use Irish in their daily affairs, and anyone wanting to work for the state had to pass an Irish exam. The following year, two radio stations were established, 2RN and Radio Éireann, which broadcast some programmes in Irish. An Gúm, an Irish publishing branch, was also set up, which helped contribute to the language as part of Irish identity.

In 1919, the Gaelic League published a plan to include Irish history, music, and language in the education system. Sean T O'Kelly, Minister of Irish and later education, worked with Catholic bishops to realise these goals. Grants and subsidies were given to schools to promote Irish literature, and soon, Irish was promoted at all levels, becoming compulsory in NUIs. Eoin MacNeill, Minister for Education, established teacher training colleges for those fluent in the language. In 1928, Irish was made compulsory in the Intermediate Certificate, and a few years later, in the Leaving Certificate. Scholar Michael Tierney questioned whether it was "possible to impose a language on a people as its ordinary speech by means of schools alone?". This reflected the important but challenging aspect of making Gaelic a part of Irish identity.

After Fianna Fáil won the 1932 election, they furthered the revival of the Irish language. At this point, more teachers around the country could teach through Irish. Minister for Education Tom Derrig stated that "the government by itself cannot revive the language. That is the task of the people." Further government efforts were made, such as de Valera making Irish the official first language in the constitution, with English as the second. The Gaelic Committee suggested that at least one sector of each government department operate in Irish, but overall, English remained dominant. Thanks to legislation such as Article 8, an active effort was made to contribute to Irish identity.

The next Minister for Education was Eoin MacNeill, who dealt with issues such as school attendance, promoting the Irish language, training teachers, and creating new state examinations. The School Attendance Act of 1926 made attendance for children ages 6 to 14 compulsory. New state examinations, the Intermediate Certificate and the Leaving Certificate were introduced in 1924. 2024 marks the 100 year anniversary of the Leaving Certificate examinations. These state policies regarding language and education massively helped to protect and promote the Irish language and, therefore, Irish identity.

Since Irish was made compulsory at school and education was closely linked with the Catholic Church, life in the Free State was difficult for Protestants with allegiance to Britain. The Church influenced conservative education policies, which led to censorship policies such as the Censorship of Publications Act of 1929. As a result, the Catholic Church directly impacted students' opinions. Priests also preached political, social, and economic policy and sexual morality. Divorce was soon banned in Ireland. In 1930, relations with the Vatican strengthened when a papal nuncio was allocated to Dublin. The Catholic Church had a substantial impact on state education policy, and Catholicism contributed largely to Irish identity.

With an increasing Catholic population, the 31st Eucharistic Congress was to be hosted in Dublin in June 1932. It was an opportunity to show the world that Catholicism was vital to Irish identity. The congress took place in Ireland, marking 1,500 years since St. Patrick brought the religion to Ireland. De Valera had the opportunity to build solid relations with the Church again and solidify Ireland's Catholicism on a world stage. The Dáil passed the Eucharistic Congress Bill, which planned to host the event successfully. The congress massively made religion a central part of Ireland's identity, even internationally.

Every parish organised masses and holy hours leading up to the event. These were mostly state-funded, but an extra £75,000 was collected through donations. The streets of Dublin were decorated for the event. On June 20th, de Valera greeted Cardinal Legate Lorenzo Lauri, a representative of Pope Pius XI. Both French and Canadian newspapers reported the event, one saying, "there was never a more popular congress than this." On June 21st, a banquet was held at Dublin Castle. People came from all over Ireland, and visitors came from America, Europe, and Australia. The 31st Eucharistic Congress displayed Irish identity on an almost global scale.

A mass held at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral officially started off the event. Churches throughout Dublin remained open all day and night to accommodate the increased number of visitors, with the high attendance point at midnight masses. From June 23rd to the 25th, Men's Day, Women's Day, and Children's Day occurred respectively. The largest mass was held in Phoenix Park, where an estimated one million people attended, with thousands more tuning into the radio broadcast. The events of the Eucharistic Congress only strengthened Catholicism as a part of Irish culture and independent identity.

The congress created huge pride for many Irish Catholics as it asserted Ireland's international status and identity. It also aided in cementing Church and State relations, as Catholic teachings influenced de Valera's new legislation. Article 44 of Bunreacht na hÉireann included other faiths like Protestants and Jews. Although some Catholic bishops opposed this, the Protestant Church approved it. The act remained in the constitution until it was amended in 1973. The congress, and in turn, the Catholic Church, had a massive impact on Ireland's political and social culture.

In the North, Prime Minister James Craig devised a "two-tier" education system in which Protestant schools were state-funded, and Catholic ones were voluntary. Despite attempts to prevent it, schools ended up becoming denominational. The intermediate commissioners for education organised state exams, and Queen's University offered higher-level education. The Irish language and history were not examined and were only taught in Catholic schools, which furthered the divide. Most Northern Irish Catholics opposed partition and refused to recognise the authority of the Northern Irish government, as they felt Irish, not British, in their identity.

In conclusion, religion, language, and education were essential to Irish politics, society, and culture. The work of the Gaelic League was continued by officialising the Irish language, and the Catholic Church remained influential in early state matters, such as censorship. The Eucharistic Congress only strengthened the Church's position in the state. Meanwhile, in the North, Protestants dominated, and the Catholic minority felt little allegiance to the crown. Irish cultural identity is still recognised in the English-speaking Western world, primarily through holidays such as St. Patrick's Day and practices like Riverdancing. With the aid of the Eucharistic Congress, Ireland's policies helped solidify a sovereign state's identity after partition and in the following decades.