The Rise and Fall of the Catholic Church in Ireland

Irish history cannot be understood without the Catholic Church, yet its story is more complex than most people realise. How did an institution weakened by the Penal Laws emerge from the shadow of the Great Hunger to shape national identity, education, and politics for generations? And how did that same institution lose so much authority so quickly, shaken by social change and revelations that shocked the country? This episode uncovers the rise of Catholic Ireland and its relatively rapid and dramatic fall. Edit by Kate Dunlea.