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Catholic unionist

August 29, 2023

Catholic Unionist is a term historically used for a Catholic in Ireland who supported the Union which formed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and subsequently used to describe Catholics who support the Union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

The term Catholic unionist has become controversial since the start of the 1970-1998 Troubles, due to the strong association of Ulster Unionism with Protestantism. The most recent surveys suggest that, although a plurality of Catholics in Northern Ireland are technically unionists in that they support Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom, very few would self-identify as unionist or support an explicitly unionist political party. This has led to the nickname unicorns for self-identified Catholic unionists, by analogy with a non-existent creature.[1] They can be contrasted with Protestant nationalists, who supported separation from Great Britain.

Historical background Edit

Roman Catholic support for the Kingdom of Ireland (1542-1800) had the full backing of the Holy See from 1555, with the papal bull Ilius per quem issued by Pope Paul IV during the reign of Queen Mary.[2] Only one monarch after her, had been Catholic, James II (1685-89), who called the Parliament of 1689. The kingdom had mainstream support from Jacobites, in hopes that eventually a Catholic monarchy would reign. In general, the Holy See had better relations with Europe's monarchies, particularly Spain, Austria, France and Portugal, and was seen as a conservative force. The Irish Catholic Hierarchy, and notably Archbishop Troy, supported the passage of the Acts of Union 1800, expecting that Catholic MPs would be elected, but this was delayed by three decades.

Notable Catholic Unionists 1800-1922 Edit

Historically, after the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, a great number of Irish Catholics such as Thomas O'Hagan served in senior positions in the British Empire of the 19th century, and many of the Irish nobility and landed gentry had remained Catholic or had converted to Catholicism in the 19th century.

Among these were:[3]


Irish Catholic unionists were a political minority group without their own representation in the House of Commons. They tended to support the Irish Loyal and Patriotic Union and subsequent Irish Unionist Alliance. As the electorate expanded after the Representation of the People Act 1884, the influence of the grander Catholics inevitably declined.

From Home Rule to Free State Edit

Irish Catholic unionists petitioned against the Government of Ireland Bill 1893 on the grounds that it would create a "revolutionary spirit disastrous to the true interests" of Catholicism.[4] Whilst sympathetic to Ulster's resistance during the Home Rule Crisis they were not averse to devolution, and some would have preferred a home-ruled united Ireland within the United Kingdom.

For many Catholic officials and lawyers, loyalty to the British system depended on the prevailing political climate. It might be essential for their careers and then dropped; an example being George Gavan Duffy. John O'Connor KC started his political life as a Fenian activist and later became an MP and King's Counsel. Other such as General Bulfin and Antony MacDonnell chose to remain loyal.

From the success of Sinn Féin at the 1918 election, Irish Catholic Unionists were constantly physically attacked and threatened by republicans for their loyalism, as the Irish poet Edward Dowden would note: "The free expression of opinion by Catholics is checked by a system of intimidation and terrorism".[5] The most notable murder was in June 1922, when a local magistrate James Woulfe-Flanagan was shot dead in front of his family while leaving Mass at Newry Cathedral.[6]

The Holy See itself was cautious in 1916-22 and would not recognise the revolutionary Irish Republic of 1919–22, despite an emotive plea from Seán T. O'Kelly.[7] Once agreement had been reached on the establishment of the Irish Free State, Monsignor Luzio was sent to interview the 26 Irish bishops, describing them on his return as "26 Popes". The British diplomat to the Vatican at the time was John Francis Charles, 7th Count de Salis-Soglio, who owned large landed estates in Limerick and Armagh.

From the 1920s a number have served as cultural and political bridges between Dublin and London, such as Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford (1905-2001).

On the partition of Ireland in 1921-22 several former Catholic Unionists were appointed to the first Irish Free State Senate.

Northern Ireland (post-1921) Edit

Many prominent members of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland have been Catholics, including the majority of its past leaders (such as John Cushnahan, Oliver Napier and Seán Neeson), some of its Deputy Leaders (such as Seamus Close and Eileen Bell), former MP (of the Northern Ireland Parliament) Thomas Columba Gormley, as well as three of its seven current Assembly members. The Alliance Party is not, as such, a Unionist party,[citation needed] as its support for the Union is based purely on that being the wishes of the majority of the people of Northern Ireland.

Republic of Ireland Edit

Voting trends Edit

Catholic supporters of the Ulster Unionist Party - the dominant political force in Northern Ireland until the 1970s - tended to support the reformist Prime Minister Terence O'Neill against the emerging hardline Protestant Unionist Party (later the DUP). The UUP later took a more hardline turn itself, and Catholic support for Unionist parties sharply declined.[citation needed] Catholic supporters of the Union today may vote for the moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party (notwithstanding the SDLP's support for a united Ireland), or for the non-partisan Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, or for none of the major parties.

Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey's 2014 poll results suggest that half of Northern Irish Catholics favour Northern Ireland remaining as part of the United Kingdom.[12] The NILT results also suggest that 6% of Catholics would vote for the nominally unionist Alliance Party, but that only 1% would support any of the mainstream or 'hardline' Unionist parties. Similarly, the poll results suggested that 7% of Protestants would vote for the Alliance Party, while 1% of Protestants would vote for the moderate nationalist SDLP.[13]

A 2011 survey by the Northern Ireland Life and Times survey found that 52% of Northern Irish Catholics respondents favoured Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom over a united Ireland.[14][15]

References Edit

  1. ^ O Connor, Fionnuala (2 May 2017). "Fionnuala O Connor: Time for both sides to stop fighting a war that is over". The Irish News. Retrieved 13 June 2017. We have been here before. Behold the recurring search for the unicorn, the Catholic unionist, the creature who can make up the numbers.
  2. ^ . Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2019. Ilius Per Quem text]; accessed online, March 2019
  3. ^ Most are in Gorman, Converts to Rome; 4th edition, London 1899
  4. ^ John Biggs-Davison and George Chowdharay-Best The Cross of St Patrick The Catholic Unionist Tradition in Ireland (1984) p195
  5. ^ John Biggs-Davison and George Chowdharay-Best The Cross of St Patrick The Catholic Unionist Tradition in Ireland (1984) p258
  6. ^ See: http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/ 19 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Witness Statement WS 890 of Captain Edward Fullerton, pages 24-25.
  7. ^ https://www.difp.ie/volume-1/1920/memorandum-by-sean-t-oceallaigh-to-pope-benedict-xv/35/#section-documentpage 12 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine Memorandum by Sean T. O'Ceallaigh to Pope Benedict XV, ROME, 18 May 1920
  8. ^ Clarke, Liam (6 November 2013). "NI21's Tina McKenzie: My politics are very different to my IRA terrorist dad's". from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  9. ^ Quinn, Ben (4 May 2020). "Conor Burns: the Eurosceptic stalwart who befriended Thatcher". theguardian.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  10. ^ "The Rt Hon Conor Burns MP". gov.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  11. ^ Obituary: Stan Gebler Davies 25 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Independent 24 June 1994
  12. ^ "NI Life and Times Survey "Do you think the long-term policy for Northern Ireland should be for it..."". ark.ac.uk. from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  13. ^ "NI Life and Times Survey - 2014: NIPARTY "Which Northern Ireland political party would you support?"". ark.ac.uk. from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  14. ^ Henry McDonald. "The Kingdom will remain United – in Ireland, at least". The Guardian. from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  15. ^ Moriarty, Gerry (20 June 2011). "Over half Catholics surveyed want North to stay in UK". The Irish Times. from the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011.

See also Edit

August 29, 2023
catholic, unionist, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, 2014, l. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Catholic unionist news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message Catholic Unionist is a term historically used for a Catholic in Ireland who supported the Union which formed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and subsequently used to describe Catholics who support the Union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain The term Catholic unionist has become controversial since the start of the 1970 1998 Troubles due to the strong association of Ulster Unionism with Protestantism The most recent surveys suggest that although a plurality of Catholics in Northern Ireland are technically unionists in that they support Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom very few would self identify as unionist or support an explicitly unionist political party This has led to the nickname unicorns for self identified Catholic unionists by analogy with a non existent creature 1 They can be contrasted with Protestant nationalists who supported separation from Great Britain Contents 1 Historical background 2 Notable Catholic Unionists 1800 1922 3 From Home Rule to Free State 4 Northern Ireland post 1921 5 Republic of Ireland 6 Voting trends 7 References 8 See alsoHistorical background EditRoman Catholic support for the Kingdom of Ireland 1542 1800 had the full backing of the Holy See from 1555 with the papal bull Ilius per quem issued by Pope Paul IV during the reign of Queen Mary 2 Only one monarch after her had been Catholic James II 1685 89 who called the Parliament of 1689 The kingdom had mainstream support from Jacobites in hopes that eventually a Catholic monarchy would reign In general the Holy See had better relations with Europe s monarchies particularly Spain Austria France and Portugal and was seen as a conservative force The Irish Catholic Hierarchy and notably Archbishop Troy supported the passage of the Acts of Union 1800 expecting that Catholic MPs would be elected but this was delayed by three decades Notable Catholic Unionists 1800 1922 EditHistorically after the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 a great number of Irish Catholics such as Thomas O Hagan served in senior positions in the British Empire of the 19th century and many of the Irish nobility and landed gentry had remained Catholic or had converted to Catholicism in the 19th century Among these were 3 Lord Killanin Charles Russell John Bingham 5th Baron Clanmorris Windham Wyndham Quin 4th Earl of Dunraven and Mount Earl Geoffrey Taylour 4th Marquess of Headfort The Viscounts Gormanston George Forbes 7th Earl of Granard William Monsell 1st Baron Emly Valentine Browne 4th Earl of Kenmare William Howard 8th Earl of Wicklow Sir John Pope Hennessy Elizabeth Burke Plunkett Countess of Fingall John Vesey 4th Viscount de VesciIrish Catholic unionists were a political minority group without their own representation in the House of Commons They tended to support the Irish Loyal and Patriotic Union and subsequent Irish Unionist Alliance As the electorate expanded after the Representation of the People Act 1884 the influence of the grander Catholics inevitably declined From Home Rule to Free State EditIrish Catholic unionists petitioned against the Government of Ireland Bill 1893 on the grounds that it would create a revolutionary spirit disastrous to the true interests of Catholicism 4 Whilst sympathetic to Ulster s resistance during the Home Rule Crisis they were not averse to devolution and some would have preferred a home ruled united Ireland within the United Kingdom For many Catholic officials and lawyers loyalty to the British system depended on the prevailing political climate It might be essential for their careers and then dropped an example being George Gavan Duffy John O Connor KC started his political life as a Fenian activist and later became an MP and King s Counsel Other such as General Bulfin and Antony MacDonnell chose to remain loyal From the success of Sinn Fein at the 1918 election Irish Catholic Unionists were constantly physically attacked and threatened by republicans for their loyalism as the Irish poet Edward Dowden would note The free expression of opinion by Catholics is checked by a system of intimidation and terrorism 5 The most notable murder was in June 1922 when a local magistrate James Woulfe Flanagan was shot dead in front of his family while leaving Mass at Newry Cathedral 6 The Holy See itself was cautious in 1916 22 and would not recognise the revolutionary Irish Republic of 1919 22 despite an emotive plea from Sean T O Kelly 7 Once agreement had been reached on the establishment of the Irish Free State Monsignor Luzio was sent to interview the 26 Irish bishops describing them on his return as 26 Popes The British diplomat to the Vatican at the time was John Francis Charles 7th Count de Salis Soglio who owned large landed estates in Limerick and Armagh From the 1920s a number have served as cultural and political bridges between Dublin and London such as Frank Pakenham 7th Earl of Longford 1905 2001 On the partition of Ireland in 1921 22 several former Catholic Unionists were appointed to the first Irish Free State Senate Northern Ireland post 1921 EditAndrew Bonaparte Wyse 1870 1940 Permanent Secretary Northern Ireland Ministry of Education G B Newe 1907 82 Minister of State Department of the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland 1971 72 appointed by Brian Faulkner Richard Doherty author military historian and RUC reservist from County Londonderry Sir John Gorman UUP MLA for North Down from 1998 to 2003 Sir Denis Henry was born in County Londonderry in 1864 A son of prosperous Catholic businessman he was elected MP for South Londonderry in 1916 and later served as Solicitor General for Ireland and then as the first Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland Tina McKenzie former chairperson council candidate and European Parliament candidate for the pro union political party NI21 and businesswoman She is the daughter of Harry Fitzsimons a former member of the Provisional IRA 8 Conor Burns Conservative MP for Bournemouth West since 2010 Minister of State for Trade Policy 2019 2020 Minister of State Northern Ireland since 2021 9 10 Many prominent members of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland have been Catholics including the majority of its past leaders such as John Cushnahan Oliver Napier and Sean Neeson some of its Deputy Leaders such as Seamus Close and Eileen Bell former MP of the Northern Ireland Parliament Thomas Columba Gormley as well as three of its seven current Assembly members The Alliance Party is not as such a Unionist party citation needed as its support for the Union is based purely on that being the wishes of the majority of the people of Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland EditStan Gebler Davies 1943 94 a journalist for the Irish Independent who stood as a Unionist for the Dail in 1987 11 Edward Haughey 1944 2014 OBE Educated by the Irish Christian Brothers in Dundalk self made pharmaceutical tycoon Nominated to Seanad Eireann by Albert Reynolds and Bertie Ahern serving from 1993 to 2002 taking the Fianna Fail whip In 2004 he became a life peer in the House of Lords for the Ulster Unionist Party as Baron Ballyedmond of Mourne in the County of Down Conor Cruise O Brien 1917 2008 Labour Party TD 1969 77 and Senator 1977 79 who was later elected to the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996 for the UK Unionist Party however he later resigned from the UKUP after his book Memoir My Life and Themes called on Unionists to consider the benefits of a united Ireland to thwart Sinn Fein Cllr Maria Gatland nee Maguire a Dublin born former member of the IRA and gun runner who has become a local councillor for the Conservative and Unionist Party in Croydon England Voting trends EditCatholic supporters of the Ulster Unionist Party the dominant political force in Northern Ireland until the 1970s tended to support the reformist Prime Minister Terence O Neill against the emerging hardline Protestant Unionist Party later the DUP The UUP later took a more hardline turn itself and Catholic support for Unionist parties sharply declined citation needed Catholic supporters of the Union today may vote for the moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party notwithstanding the SDLP s support for a united Ireland or for the non partisan Alliance Party of Northern Ireland or for none of the major parties Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey s 2014 poll results suggest that half of Northern Irish Catholics favour Northern Ireland remaining as part of the United Kingdom 12 The NILT results also suggest that 6 of Catholics would vote for the nominally unionist Alliance Party but that only 1 would support any of the mainstream or hardline Unionist parties Similarly the poll results suggested that 7 of Protestants would vote for the Alliance Party while 1 of Protestants would vote for the moderate nationalist SDLP 13 A 2011 survey by the Northern Ireland Life and Times survey found that 52 of Northern Irish Catholics respondents favoured Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom over a united Ireland 14 15 References Edit O Connor Fionnuala 2 May 2017 Fionnuala O Connor Time for both sides to stop fighting a war that is over The Irish News Retrieved 13 June 2017 We have been here before Behold the recurring search for the unicorn the Catholic unionist the creature who can make up the numbers Documents on Ireland The papal bull of 1555 conferring the title of king of Ireland on Philip II of Spain Archived from the original on 27 November 2020 Retrieved 12 March 2019 Ilius Per Quem text accessed online March 2019 Most are in Gorman Converts to Rome 4th edition London 1899 John Biggs Davison and George Chowdharay Best The Cross of St Patrick The Catholic Unionist Tradition in Ireland 1984 p195 John Biggs Davison and George Chowdharay Best The Cross of St Patrick The Catholic Unionist Tradition in Ireland 1984 p258 See http www bureauofmilitaryhistory ie Archived 19 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Witness Statement WS 890 of Captain Edward Fullerton pages 24 25 https www difp ie volume 1 1920 memorandum by sean t oceallaigh to pope benedict xv 35 section documentpage Archived 12 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine Memorandum by Sean T O Ceallaigh to Pope Benedict XV ROME 18 May 1920 Clarke Liam 6 November 2013 NI21 s Tina McKenzie My politics are very different to my IRA terrorist dad s Archived from the original on 11 January 2014 Retrieved 11 January 2014 Quinn Ben 4 May 2020 Conor Burns the Eurosceptic stalwart who befriended Thatcher theguardian com Retrieved 5 July 2022 The Rt Hon Conor Burns MP gov uk Retrieved 5 July 2022 Obituary Stan Gebler Davies Archived 25 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Independent 24 June 1994 NI Life and Times Survey Do you think the long term policy for Northern Ireland should be for it ark ac uk Archived from the original on 8 December 2015 Retrieved 17 January 2016 NI Life and Times Survey 2014 NIPARTY Which Northern Ireland political party would you support ark ac uk Archived from the original on 21 March 2016 Retrieved 17 January 2016 Henry McDonald The Kingdom will remain United in Ireland at least The Guardian Archived from the original on 23 July 2015 Retrieved 23 July 2015 Moriarty Gerry 20 June 2011 Over half Catholics surveyed want North to stay in UK The Irish Times Archived from the original on 2 November 2011 Retrieved 17 September 2011 See also EditList of Irish Victoria Cross recipients Protestant Irish nationalists Unionism in Ireland West Brit Holy See Ireland relations Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Catholic unionist amp oldid 1154405954, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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