JAMES WARREN DOYLE

In Ireland at the time the established church—the Protestant Anglican Church of Ireland—had the legal right to collect annual Tithes from the population in order to fund the activities of the Church. One difficulty however, was that the majority of the population were Roman Catholics. The poorest of them could not afford the tithe payments to any church. Whereas in the past, the Protestant Church officials did not force the issue of tithe collection from the poor, in about 1830 they changed and seized the property of the poor (Protestants and Catholics) and auctioned it off to pay for the tithe. The Cardinal organized this campaign of using the technicalities of the laws to combat the Tithe. For example, the poor Catholic farmers gave title to their cattle to the Catholic Church and the Archbishop then had them feed and care for “his” cattle in exchange for their ability to use the milk for drinking and cheese.

In Ireland at the time the established church—the Protestant Anglican Church of Ireland—had the legal right to collect annual Tithes from the population in order to fund the activities of the Church. One difficulty however, was that the majority of the population were Roman Catholics. The poorest of them could not afford the tithe payments to any church. Whereas in the past, the Protestant Church officials did not force the issue of tithe collection from the poor, in about 1830 they changed and seized the property of the poor (Protestants and Catholics) and auctioned it off to pay for the tithe. The Cardinal organized a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience to combat the Tithe. See {639227}.

There were other Roman Catholics who used violence including physically attacking the Tithe Collectors. In Ireland at the time the established church—the Protestant Anglican Church of Ireland—had the legal right to collect annual Tithes from the population in order to fund the activities of the Church. One difficulty however, was that the majority of the population were Roman Catholics. The poorest of them could not afford the tithe payments to any church. Whereas in the past, the Protestant Church officials did not force the issue of tithe collection from the poor, in about 1830 they changed and seized the property of the poor (Protestants and Catholics) and auctioned it off to pay for the tithe. The Cardinal organized a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience to combat the Tithe.

In Ireland at the time the established church—the Protestant Anglican Church of Ireland—had the legal right to collect annual Tithes from the population in order to fund the activities of the Church. One difficulty however, was that the majority of the population were Roman Catholics. The poorest of them could not afford the tithe payments to any church. The Irish Protestant clergy lived in a particularly sumptuous style and were much more interested in politics and maintaining the Protestant ascendency than they were in ministering to the poor and had no interest in aiding the Catholic poor.

While this was an excellent thing to do, it was opposed by most Catholics and Protestants alike. The Protestants did not want their children going to school with the lower class Catholics, and the Catholics feared that if the schools were desegregated the Protestants would control the curriculum and teach heresy to their children. The archbishop died 8 years thereafter, and there were too few enlightened intellectuals to keep the idea alive. Ironically, even in Northern Island of the 21st century, religiously integrated schools would be an excellent amelioration for the religious strife, but the majority of both religions still do not want it, and essentially for the same reasons as 175 years earlier.

While this was an excellent thing to do, it was opposed by most Catholics and Protestants alike. The Protestants did not want their children going to school with the lower class Catholics, and the Catholics feared that if the schools were desegregated the Protestants would control the curriculum and teach heresy to their children. The archbishop died 8 years thereafter, and there were too few enlightened intellectuals to keep the idea alive. Ironically, even in Northern Island of the 21st century, religiously integrated schools would be an excellent amelioration for the religious strife, but the majority of both religions still do not want it, and essentially for the same reasons as 175 years earlier.

There were other Roman Catholics who used violence including physically attacking the Tithe Collectors. In Ireland at the time the established church—the Protestant Anglican Church of Ireland—had the legal right to collect annual Tithes from the population in order to fund the activities of the Church. One difficulty however, was that the majority of the population were Roman Catholics. The poorest of them could not afford the tithe payments to any church. Whereas in the past, the Protestant Church officials did not force the issue of tithe collection from the poor, in about 1830 they changed and seized the property of the poor (Protestants and Catholics) and auctioned it off to pay for the tithe. The Cardinal organized a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience to combat the Tithe.

In Ireland at the time the established church—the Protestant Anglican Church of Ireland—had the legal right to collect annual Tithes from the population in order to fund the activities of the Church. One difficulty however, was that the majority of the population were Roman Catholics. The poorest of them could not afford the tithe payments to any church. Whereas in the past, the Protestant Church officials did not force the issue of tithe collection from the poor, in about 1830 they changed and seized the property of the poor (Protestants and Catholics) and auctioned it off to pay for the tithe. The Cardinal organized a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience to combat the Tithe. See {639227}.

In Ireland at the time the established church—the Protestant Anglican Church of Ireland—had the legal right to collect annual Tithes from the population in order to fund the activities of the Church. One difficulty however, was that the majority of the population were Roman Catholics. The poorest of them could not afford the tithe payments to any church. Whereas in the past, the Protestant Church officials did not force the issue of tithe collection from the poor, in about 1830 they changed and seized the property of the poor (Protestants and Catholics) and auctioned it off to pay for the tithe. The Cardinal organized this campaign of using the technicalities of the laws to combat the Tithe. For example, the poor Catholic farmers gave title to their cattle to the Catholic Church and the Archbishop then had them feed and care for “his” cattle in exchange for their ability to use the milk for drinking and cheese.

In Ireland at the time the established church—the Protestant Anglican Church of Ireland—had the legal right to collect annual Tithes from the population in order to fund the activities of the Church. One difficulty however, was that the majority of the population were Roman Catholics. The poorest of them could not afford the tithe payments to any church. The Irish Protestant clergy lived in a particularly sumptuous style and were much more interested in politics and maintaining the Protestant ascendency than they were in ministering to the poor and had no interest in aiding the Catholic poor.