Father Mathew, Temperance and Irish Identity

Father Theobald Mathew's temperance crusade was the single most extraordinary social movement in pre-famine Ireland, enlisting millions of Irish men and women. Ranking among the more unique and under-examined mass mobilizations of men and women in modern European history, this book, through new and exhaustive research, provides startling insights into Irish culture, society, and politics of the 1830's and 1840's while giving a detailed picture of the rise and fall of the movement. Despite its beginnings as a marginalized local organization, the leaders of the Cork Total Abstinence Society were determined to launch a national crusade to convert the entire Irish population to the "doctrine of total abstinence." To achieve this, Father Mathew and the temperance advocates crafted a distinctly Irish crusade, laden with pietistic and patriotic fervour. Camp-meetings, enthusiasm and the gospel of self-improvement were the hallmarks of the movement. Temperance urged a reformation in drinking h