Dissention
Although over 96% of the population of Connaught was Catholic, most schools were run by the Established Church. Archbishop John Mc Hale of Tuam was strongly opposed to the government policy on primary school education (Mac Atasney, 1996). He forbade Catholics from attending the Protestant school and many schools were abandoned. Many of his priests disagreed with him, seeing education as a necessity. McHale did not believe that education for the masses was as important as preventing their souls being endangered by proselytisers.
The Rev Nangle and his mission immediately came into conflict with Archbishop Mac Hale (Whelan, 2005). The conflict caused by the Achill Mission became particularly violent. Following a visit by Archbishop MacHale, bible readers and Protestant converts were attacked and children were dragged from schools. One Protestant convert was killed by being struck over the head with a stick. (Comerford, 2013). A teacher and a bible reader, who had gone to Clare Island to preach, had to be rescued by the coastguard for fear they would be beaten to death. Bible readers and tract distributors, including two women, were attacked in Newport (Ó Móráin, 1957). |
Mc Hale sent a new parish priest, Fr. James Dwyer, to Achill Island and a bitter campaign of vilification in the press started. While Nangle accused the priests of encouraging intimidation of his bible readers 'put them out by the head and neck, put them out by the pitchfork' (Freeman's Journal)[1], they accused him of souperism. He visited Roman Catholics on their bed of sickness and offered them, when starving, money and other relief to become Protestants' ( Freeman's Journal)[2].
In Newport, Fr. Hughes and Rev Stoney became involved in the press campaign. When they held a meeting in Castlebar to discuss doctrinal issues, particularly transubstantiation and the Virgin Mary, the police and the army had to be called out to control the fighting crowd. Many Catholics, particularly Dean John Patrick Lyons of Killala, who was an archenemy of Mac Hale, admired Nangle, while many Anglicans viewed him as a fanatical troublemaker (Comerford, 2013). His mission caused serious conflict within and between the churches in Burrishoole. Mac Hale, Nangle, Stoney and Hughes were all deeply moral, committed Christians. They were srong minded, intelligent and capable. All four were also stubborn, belligerent, and opinionated and convinced that God was on their side only. It was a shame that they were all in the one diocese at the same time and committed to fighting rather than co operating. [1] O5/09/1836 [2] 05/09/1836 Click HERE for Information on Famine Relief |