The Irish In Rome

Rome is known as the Eternal City, but it is also a city deeply shaped by centuries of Irish history. In this RTÉ Nationwide feature, Colm Flynn explores Ireland’s rich religious, cultural, and historical ties to Rome during the Jubilee Year, visiting key Irish-linked sites across the city and meeting members of today’s Irish community. The programme journeys through places such as the Pontifical Irish College, founded in 1628 to train Irish priests during times of persecution at home, as well as Basilica di San Clemente, a remarkable layered church where Irish Dominican Fr. Joseph Mullooly led the 19th-century excavations that uncovered Rome’s ancient past beneath its streets. At the Spanish Steps, the programme meets the Mater Dei Sisters, an Irish-founded congregation whose presence in Rome reflects a quieter, lived Irish faith at the heart of the city, offering hospitality, education, and service just steps from one of Rome’s most famous landmarks. Along the way, the programme reveals lesser-known Irish connections, all brought together by a new interactive online map, "Ireland In Rome", launched by the Irish Embassy to the Holy See, helping visitors trace Ireland’s footprint in the Eternal City. From early missionaries and revolutionary figures to modern expats, this feature paints a vivid picture of how the Irish story in Rome continues to this day.