Emmet Larkin’s claim that there was a “devotional revolution” in Ireland after the Great Famine is one of this island’s most enduring historical theories. Larkin argued that the trauma of the famine convinced people to seek God, transforming it from a land of barely practising Catholics to a nation whose identity was bound up with its faith. This process was accelerated by the energetic efforts of Paul Cullen, Archbishop of Armagh (1850-1852) and Dublin (1852-1878), who introduced new devotional practices from Europe.
Similarly, cross-national studies have found that phenomena like evangelical revivals and Marian apparitions almost always take place during times of social anxiety. Ulster’s famous 1859 evangelical revival can be understood in this light – and in part as a Protestant reaction to fears about Catholic expansion under Cullen .
Turning to religion during a crisis could be considered a relic of previous eras, a curious historical footnote that is of little relevance in our contemporary secular age. But it would be a mistake to overlook the power of religion during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Article originally appeared on RTE Brainstorm.
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