Arguments about the post-Reformation Church in Ireland invariably centre on the question of whether the English Churches really sought to convert the majority of the Irish population to Protestantism or whether they were satisfied that they were performing their duties adequately enough if they ministered to the English-speaking settlers. This interesting and well-conceived new collection is a further addition to the literature on the vexed and complicated history of Anglo-Irish ecclesiastical relations. It opens with Mary ii’s judgement that ‘Everybody agrees that it is the worst in Christendom’ when she ‘considered the decayed state of the Church of Ireland shortly after the battle of the Boyne in 1690’ (p. 13). As the editor, Patrick Little points out, the queen never visited Ireland and was relying on hearsay, but she was not entirely wrong as the established Church in Ireland had no money, decaying buildings, absent clergy and a serious on-going conflict with the more vigorous Presbyterians of the north, as well as the Catholics. The deal that the duke of Ormond made with the Confederates in 1649 opened the way for the dominance of Catholics and it is little surprise that the post-Restoration Church was defensive and beleaguered when it had been more eager to secure conversions before. However, the Church did survive the Stuart dynasty and was successful in preserving its structures even if it made little headway with the larger Irish population.

The book consists of ten chapters. Alan Ford opens the collection with an assessment of the role of Trinity College, Dublin, designed to train the Irish clergy and so challenge the dominance of Catholicism. Ford points out that ‘Protestantism got off to such a slow start in Ireland … it was the Catholic side that was on the front foot’ (p. 35). The issue was highlighted in a staged debate between the experienced Jesuit, Henry Fitzsimmons, who was pitted against the teenage James Ussher in 1600. The formal disputes were abandoned after one debate, but they established anti-Catholicism as the distinctive characteristic of Trinity theology. Ussher was later to be the chief spokesperson, arguing that St Patrick had established a pure Protestant theology in Ireland before the Church was appropriated and distorted by papal forces. Ireland was declared a Protestant country. Mark Empey provides a succinct and useful overview of the preservation of manuscripts and historical records, arguing that by the late 1620s there was considerable enthusiasm among settlers for information about Ireland’s past, demonstrating the rapid evolution of settler society and ‘for the first time, a sense of belonging’ (p. 43). The resulting repositories established in various dioceses further demonstrate the establishment of a more literate clergy, led by Ussher and Ware, but also a sign of a more widespread appreciation of Ireland’s ancient past (p. 54), this historical sense further influencing the laity. Joan Redmond writes about martyrologies, which were important for both Protestants and Catholics, testifying to the significance of violence in understanding Irish history, as many authors, notably Patricia Palmer, have noted. Patrick Little contributes two chapters. The first, on Lord Inchiquin and the Munster clergy, shows how he was able to protect the clergy under his suzerainty because denominational boundaries had become blurred, a significant feature of life in the south-west. The second chapter explores the evidence that enables us to understand the devotional life of Richard Boyle, second earl of Cork (1612–98). Ussher, as so often in seventeenth-century Irish Protestant history, turns out to be the key figure whose theology and ecclesiastical practices set the agenda. The earl is notable for his secret protection of Church of Ireland clergy, helping to ensure the survival of the institution ‘by allowing it to function underground’ (p. 105). The Commonwealth forces were rightly suspicious of his behaviour but were unable to act against him, because he was reliably discreet, a crucial ability in Cromwellian Ireland.

Liam O’Rourke writes about the hospitality of bishops (1660–1714), concentrating on the banquets they held as well as the houses they built and occupied. In fact, Irish bishops enjoyed greater security than their English counterparts because short leases in Ireland enabled them to increase rents easily. The bishops played a crucial role in enabling the upper echelons of Irish society to function, especially in the more isolated regions, as the predominance of Presbyterians in the Irish gentry meant that they were not greatly forthcoming in providing entertainment. Accordingly Irish churchmen earned a reputation for gourmandising and heavy drinking, which led to the despair of their more abstemious colleagues who did what they could to counterbalance their excesses. Toby Barnard explores the ways in which the Church of Ireland interacted with other denominations at the end of the seventeenth century, as clergymen sought to steer between disdain for other Protestant sects and fear that isolation could lead to disestablishment. Coleman Dennehy discusses the role of bishops as politicians and men of business in the Irish House of Lords, showing that they ‘played a consistently significant and important role’ (p. 160), as they had done from the Middle Ages onwards. Jessica Cunningham surveys church silver during the Stuart dynasty, a chapter supported by several handsome illustrations. Despite the opposition to Laudian reforms and High Church practices Irish churches managed to preserve a considerable amount of valuable silver pieces of church furniture, which had a practical as well as a symbolic appeal. Kerry Houston concludes the collection with a chapter on cathedral music. The Irish Church took music seriously and both Dublin cathedrals paid decent salaries to attract their English counterparts, as well as paying for musicians to improve their skills in Italy and so preserve Ireland’s deserved reputation for music of a high standard.

Overall, this is a high quality and much needed volume that contributes greatly to our understanding of religion in Ireland in the long seventeenth century.