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. This text provides insights into Irish culture , society and politics of the 1830s and 1840s while giving a detailed picture of the rise and fall of the movement. 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 crafted an Irish crusade, laden with hallmarks of the movement. Temperance urged a reformation in drinking habits as the best way to regenerate the Irish nation. Remarkably, an ethic emerged and prevailed. Temperance became dominant in Irish public life. Yet, Daniel O'Connell’s political opportunism and the opposition of an anxious Catholic Church resulted in the collapse of the movement. The movement reveals a lot about class, sectarian and regional divisions and established a new benchmark for the potential of mass movements in Ireland .