The title of this fine study is somewhat deceptive, as it does not stipulate that the discussion will concentrate on the city of Limerick from 1920 to 1960 and describe how religious practice and belief were at the core of the lives of the bulk of the inhabitants during the early decades of Irish Independence. The methodologies employed by Síle de Cléir involves in-depth interviews and ethnographic historical sources, which combined give an excellent flavor of the religious practices and customs during those decades.

In the wake of the end of British colonial rule in all but the six counties of Northern Ireland in 1922, Catholicism became synonymous at times with Irish identity. This unique devotion to Catholicism (which accounted for well over 90 percent of the population in Ireland) was supported and promoted by a strong parish system that encouraged daily religious observances such as family prayer (mainly the Rosary), membership in the various confraternities, attendance at Mass and the sacraments, and devotion to the Virgin Mary and other saints popular at the time. It also helped that the education and the health systems were almost exclusively in the hands of the Catholic Church.

In the pithy historical background that she supplies, de Cléir notes two events of particular importance during the early years of the new Irish state. The first was the Centenary of Catholic Emancipation in 1929, and the second was the staging of the Eucharistic Congress in 1932, both opportunities to celebrate the country's renowned loyalty to the Catholic faith. The Eucharistic Congress was made all the more memorable for those who could not make the journey to Dublin because they were able to listen to the proceedings on radio. In addition, the recording of the ceremonies through photographs and on film seemed to connect Ireland and Irish Catholicism with the modern era and to provide a symbolic melding of the majority faith and a certain notion of Irishness.

De Cléir acknowledges that, because her cohort of interviewees is small, her findings cannot be considered a comprehensive survey of Catholicism in Limerick during the period covered. That said, the recurring themes and sentiments she uncovers in her subjects’ experiences do seem representative, and they show how important religious ceremonies and practices were to them. All recount the joy they got from attending the confraternity meetings or the sodalities; the colorful pageants that were the Corpus Christi processions and St. Patrick's Day celebrations; the beautiful ceremonies at Christmas and Easter; the rituals surrounding births and deaths (the descriptions of wakes are particularly vivid); the station Masses, where certain houses hosted the sacrifice of the Eucharist; pilgrimages to places like Croagh Patrick, Lough Derg, or Knock; and May Eve, a traditional pagan ritual that involved the preparation of a large bonfire, after which a shovelful of cinders was brought home so as to ensure that the house would not be without a warming fire during the coming year. There is an acknowledgment by the interviewees that in spite of the imposition of regular bouts of fasting, especially severe during the season of Lent, and a morbid preoccupation with guilt, which caused overly scrupulous people to fear that they had committed venial or mortal sin for very mild breaches of church teaching, the memories of religious practice are nevertheless overwhelmingly positive for the most part. The fear of sin drove people to attend Confession on a regular basis (one could not receive Holy Communion if not in a state of grace), but alongside the awareness of hell was an associated belief in heaven, the reward for those who had lived good lives. There was a keen awareness of the transcendent among the vast majority of Catholics of Limerick, which helped them to face the challenges that life threw at them on a regular basis.

Frank McCourt's hugely successful memoir Angela's Ashes (1996) presents a very different picture of life in Limerick during much of the same period covered by de Cléir's study. McCourt wrote of the deliberate humiliation of his mother when she approached the Vincent de Paul for help, of the refusal to accept her son as an altar boy because of his scabby knees and his poor background, and of the failure of priests to lessen the hardship of the McCourt family. Who can say for sure which version is the truer? Certainly, de Cléir and her interviewees sometimes give the impression of being uncommonly positive in their portrayal of Catholicism. Whether or not this is a flaw in the study is open to doubt, but one still gets a real feeling for the zeitgeist of the period in question, which is helped by the inclusion of many impressive photographs.

In the end, experiential (rather than strictly theological) religion comes to the forefront in de Cléir's interviews. For instance, the exaltation brought about by singing during the Latin Mass is palpable in many of the descriptions. The congregation knew the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, and Sanctus by heart and could still sing them, if asked, today. One interviewee observes that Latin is the most beautiful language in the world and the easiest in which to sing. The Latin Mass appealed to the senses and lifted people's spirits from the humdrum monotony and hardships of life. For this group of respondents at least, its abolition after Vatican II definitely removed some of the awe and mystery from the ceremony.

De Cléir writes passionately about her subject, and it is clear that she has conducted years of research refining her thoughts and compiling the interviews. When one finishes the study, one feels sad to be leaving behind a community devoted to their Catholic faith who lived in a simpler time when religion still had the power to point to a life beyond the earthly one.