Building identity – historical narratives, rituals and the construction of the Roman Catholic urban landscape, 1880-1900
Throughout the nineteenth century, the Irish landscape was transformed
by a religious building boom across the different denominations on the
island. Responding to changing social and political attitudes towards
religious worship, these buildings gave physical form to spiritual,
social and moral ideals. Jeanne Sheehy has estimated that 1,805 Roman
Catholic churches were built between 1800 and 1863. These buildings were
part of the larger expansion of Roman Catholic power within the public
sphere, and within public space, during this period. The construction of
the Catholic urban landscapes during this period – comprising schools,
churches, convents, confraternity buildings, and institutions of health
and welfare – involved major fundraising efforts. This paper explores
the ceremonies that took place to lay the foundation stones for these
buildings, and in particular, examines the way in which historical
narratives were used to form a sense of group identity by speakers
within this context. The historical narratives expressed during the
sermons at these large-scale gatherings created an explicit link between
past and present, generating a sense of triumphant and resurgent Roman
Catholic identity. Crucially, these historical narratives were expressed
in spatial terms, with this triumphant Catholic identity linked to
increasing control over physical space, and qualified in terms of
historical antecedents. These sermons, quickly memorialised in
newspapers, are an example of what David Fitzpatrick has characterised
as ‘instant history’, and can be considered as a key facet in the
development of an emerging Roman Catholic public sphere during the
period, as well as having a major impact on the development of the Roman
Catholic urban landscape, and control over public space.