Religion in Irish Literature and Culture
Religion in Irish Literature and Culture
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Hardback
£90.00
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781009191623
Number of Pages: 360
Published: 28/02/2026
Contrary to the widespread belief in Ireland's rapid secularisation, religion continues to play a significant role in 21st-century Irish culture, though not in the familiar forms of Catholicism and Protestantism. This volume seeks to redress the balance and demonstrate that religion informs and intersects with past and present Irish culture. While religious oppression has been challenged by writers from Sean O'Casey to Edna O'Brien, Joyce's heresy, Patrick Pearse's fusion of Christian and pagan sacrifice, and Yeats's pan-Asian eclecticism are among the manoeuvres by which the Irish have sought to explore beyond the prescribed limits of spirituality. This book takes an interdisciplinary and global approach that encompasses the affinities of Celtic thought with Asian philosophy, the legacy of Irish missions in Africa, new ways to see the religiosity of canonical works, and Irish cultural engagement with traditions such as Buddhism, Daoism, Judaism, and Shinto.
Notes on Contributors; Acknowledgements; Introduction Chris Murray; 1. Religion and Irish Poetry Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin; 2. Thinking Theologically about Irish Anglican Gothic Fiction Jarlath Killeen; 3. Faith and Religion in Irish Theatre: 'The Mercy of Fathers' Victor Merriman; 4. Institutional Catholicism in the Irish Novel: 'As much Power as We Give Them' Kate Costello-Sullivan; 5. Women and Religion in the Irish Diaspora: Memoirs, Fiction, and Lecture Tours Dianne Hall; 6. James Joyce the Heretic Jean-Michel Rabaté; 7. Seamus Heaney's Religious Palette: Catholic, Roman, Greek Lorna Hardwick; 8. Poetic Ontologies in Seamus Heaney and Derek Mahon Bruce Stewart; 9. The Prospect of Truth: Catholic Feeling in the Language of Conor Cruise O'Brien Marion Kelly; 10. 'A Cleansing and Sanctifying Thing': Mythic Landscapes in Patrick Pearse's Sacrificial Imagination Hunter Dukes; 11. Modern Irish Marianisms: The Virgin Mary in Literature after the Second Vatican Council Chris Murray; 12. Restless for the Future: Eschatology and Evangelical Time in Ulster-Scots Writing and Culture Frank Ferguson and Willa Murphy; 13. Church Domination and Control Tom Inglis; 14. Religious Material Culture Mary Ann Bolger and Lisa Godson; 15. Ireland and Africa: Religious and Cultural Connections Fiona Bateman; 16. Judaism and Irish Culture Natalie Wynn; 17. 'The Unseen Bay': Japanese Spirituality and Irish Literature Ciaran Murray; 18. The Dao of Irish Culture Jerusha McCormack.
