by Julia Cole
On Friday, October 18, 2024, The Other Sister Research Group had a thematic meeting on the topic of Irish women religious.
Our invited scholars and readings were:
- Colmán Ó Clabaigh OSB, “Marginal Figures? Quasi-Religious Women in Medieval Ireland,” in Brides of Christ: Women and Monasticism in Medieval and Early Modern Ireland M. Browne, T. Collins, C. Ó Clabaigh, & B. A. McShane (Four Courts Press, 2023), pp. 118-135.
- Bronagh Ann McShane, “Who Were the Nuns in Early Modern Ireland,” in Brides of Christ: Women and Monasticism in Medieval and Early Modern Ireland ed. M. Browne, T. Collins, C. Ó Clabaigh, & B. A. McShane (Four Courts Press, 2023), pp. 148-170.
- Victoria Anne Pearson, “Deeds, Not Words: Reconciling Enclosure with a Missionary Ethos in Eighteenth Century Ireland”, in Bishop Francis Moylan, A Merchant Prince of the Catholic Church, 1735-1815, PhD thesis, Ulster University, 2024, chapter 4.
- For background, we also circulated Tracy Collins and Bronagh McShane, “Introduction,” to Brides of Christ: Women and Monasticism in Medieval and Early Modern Ireland M. Browne, T. Collins, C. Ó Clabaigh, & B. A. McShane (Four Courts Press, 2023), pp. 1-6.
Alison More started the meeting by reminding attendees of the ongoing mission of The Other Sister, to uncover the stories of women religious. In this meeting, the group heard about and discussed Irish women religious, a group which has been largely ignored by the scholarship.
The first presentation was from Colmán Ó Clabaigh, who was one of the editors of the volume from which two of the papers presented came, Brides of Christ: Women and Monasticism in Medieval and Early Modern Ireland. Bronagh Anne McShane, one of the other presenters, and Tracy Collins, an attendee of the session, were also editors of the volume. The fourth editor of the volume was Martin Browne.
Colmán began by expressing his gratitude at seeing so many of the scholars whose work he had used to inform his own. First, he explained the volume and then presented the chapter he authored. The fifth Glenstal history conference was the starting point of the volume. The area that these conferences focus on is Irish material and history overall. Female monasticism was a long-hoped for topic for Colmán, and this was realized in 2021, supported by the work of Bronagh Ann McShane and Tracy Collins. The volume that arose from this conference was a long-awaited work on female monasticism in Ireland, a field that has been under-studied so far.
“Marginal figures? Quasi-religious women in medieval Ireland” was the title of Colmán’s chapter, a fitting topic for The Other Sister. The image gracing the cover of the book, a fifteenth-century depiction of the Virgin Mary sheltering a group of possibly Franciscan nuns under her mantle, shows (upon close examination) that diverse groups of women (and men) religious are represented. He began with a discussion of the difficulty of terminology, such as pallium, which is an early Latin borrow word in the Irish language, a word used for many meanings, from a widow leading a penitent life to a witch.
He then discussed four categories: vowesses, virgins and widows; anchoresses and recluses; tertiaries (mainly of the Franciscan tradition); and finally nursing sisters in Ireland. It is challenging to overstate the fragmentary nature of the sources in Ireland; there is no material comparable to that, for example, of female monasticism in England. Therefore, he explained, much of the scholarly process to bring the stories of these women to light is wondering if one has enough source material to do so.
The second presentation was by Bronagh Anne McShane (Trinity College, Dublin), president of the steering committee of the “History of Women Religious of Britain and Ireland”, whose research is involved in exploring the voices of early modern women religious in Ireland and Europe. Bronagh agreed with Colmán on the fragmentary nature of the sources for this topic, comparing her work to weaving a tapestry together to paint a picture of the women found in the sources.
She then discussed the idea of enclosure regarding early modern women religious in Ireland. She specifically highlighted how contested and varied this phenomenon was across the period and between different institutions, as well as how it operated, compared to how it was prescribed to operate. For most nuns in Ireland, it was impossible to observe strict enclosure, not for lack of zeal but due to the ongoing conflicts, upheavals, and wars in Ireland. Further, the imposition of penalties against the practice of Catholicism in Ireland meant that many nuns had to leave for the continent. Bronagh was struck by how mobile early modern nuns were, especially at a time when travel could be challenging. She spoke about a specific group of Irish Poor Clares, who, upon their return to Ireland in 1629 with the intent of establishing a foundation in Dublin, were expelled from the city, and later emerged in a rural area, which foundation did not last long. Bronagh also pointed out that the term enclosure is being thought about and contested by modern communities, especially in the context of the digital age which enables unprecedented access ‘to the world’. Finally, Bronagh highlighted that the live and experiences of tertiary sisters remain a poorly understood dimension of Irish history. She highlighted how Colmán’s work has been essential to our understanding of the function and operation of tertiary communities medieval Ireland. But as yet we know very little about third order sisters in the modern era. She concluded by raising a call to arms to find out more about third order secular, and religious female foundations in Ireland and the wider European context.
Next Victoria Pearson, financial officer of the “History of Women Religious of Britain and Ireland” group, PhD Researcher at Ulster University, and scholar of the life and work of Dr. Francis Moylan, Bishop of Kerry, spoke. She explained her work as the study of a bishop and by extension the examination of institutional impacts on women religious. She is interested in how Tridentine Catholicism was applied to the Irish context and how it emerged in Ireland in the late eighteenth century to revitalize Catholic life. She again echoed the challenges of the fragmentary sources which survived into the period of increased Catholic acceptance in the eighteenth century. This context of reform is vital to her exploration of the relationship between Francis Moylan and ‘Nano’ Nagle, which includes the idea that there was a change in both the leadership of the Irish Catholic Church and stewardship of the Catholic Nation. Their relationship is especially interesting considering that Nagle was from an old Irish Gaelic aristocratic family and Francis represented a new group. This new group was Catholics who had eked out an existence for themselves under the restrictive laws, by pursuing businesses and using their capital to grow their communities. This shift highlights the emerging middle class. There was a change in ownership, values, and ideas about respectability. Nagle never believed that enclosure would work in Ireland, and she had always envisioned that enclosure would not be part of her community. Moylan came around to her way of thinking when he returned home to Ireland, seeing the schools in Cork that Nagle had formed, and attempted to get her community under the protection of the Catholic Church. Nagle herself did not take vows until she was in her fifties, likely because of her desire to work in the community. Moylan knew of communities in France who did this and tried to find a way to apply this knowledge in the Irish context. This creates an intriguing story, in which the bishop argued with his superiors and authorities in Rome that Nagle’s community should not be enclosed. This issue dragged on for the congregation, but after Nagle’s death, the community decided they were willing to accept enclosure in the early 1800s. By this point, many changes had occurred in Ireland, both culturally, politically, and in terms of the workings of the congregation.
Next, the group turned to the discussion period. Michael Hahn led the discussion, beginning with a question posed by Eleonora Cappuccilli. She asked Bronagh about her definition concerning transnational religious experiences, considering the mission of the “counter-reformation” to recover territories lost to the faith, and the work of missionaries. She wondered about how scholars are defining the transnational experiences of women, and if shared models can be applied in these cases. She asked: how can the nation be defined not in ethnic terms, but in religious terms? She also discussed Teresa of Avila and her influence in this period, wondering if there is evidence of her influence in Ireland. Bronagh began her response by connecting both transnational and local sites and emphasizing the importance of understanding these in conjunction. She highlighted the Tridentine context on one hand, and the local Irish context on the other. In her work, there is a complex context in Ireland in which Catholicism is suppressed by the state, but “counter-reformation” ideas are being explored. Exile as an aspect of religious identity for Irish women religious is also important to consider, as being exiled from Ireland and going to religious houses on the continent informed women’s experiences. This brings up interesting tensions between women of different nationalities within these houses on the continent. She also discussed the ethnic vs. religious question, giving the example in Ireland in this period that saw the coming together of ethnic groups such as Gaelic and Old English groups. Finally, she agreed that Teresa of Avila had significant influences on Irish nuns and concepts of ecstasy, on which some work has been done in Ireland. Victoria Pearson also elaborated that Nagle was known to engage in long hours kneeling in prayer, and aspects of bodily mortification, and taking up the cloak of a beggar to collect money for her community, even before she took any vows.
Next, Isabelle Cochelin asked about an example of a pregnant tertiary, and Colmán’s discussion of tertiaries who were married. She wondered how common this was in Ireland? She also asked about the proportion of male to female religious communities. Colman answered that these women were secular tertiaries, and marriage and child-rearing was allowed under the secular tertiary rule. They were further not expected to follow the same fasting regulations as the others. Bronagh elaborated further by highlighting the need to clarify the third order and regular vs. secular tertiaries in the scholarship. She explained that male communities survived both exile and ongoing conflict in higher numbers than female houses, not to mention the head start those men had due to the establishment of seminary training houses. Victoria Pearson also highlighted the fact that scholars are only starting to understand how much was lost from female houses when the exile happened. She also stated that considerations which acknowledge tertiary lifestyles are allowing scholars to reconsider how secular women led lives of community service which can be seen as forms of religious life. Exile and return were part of the tradition of St Patrick and the great saints, and this means Nagle was following this same tradition.
Next, Devon Sherwood asked a general question about the fragmentary nature of the sources in both the medieval and early modern period, and if there is any difference in the nature of the sources in these times. She wondered what types of sources are still available. She also asked about religious self-identity of women religious and the phases of religious life these women may pass through; further, how the acceptance of enclosure could change the self-perception of these women. Victoria Pearson answered that Nagle’s successor, Sister Angela Collins, was in a liminal space for much of her life, living as a religious woman in a community. However, she did not take solemn vows nor was she officially recognized by the community until later in life. The sources, she states, are fragmentary, but sometimes sources remain unknown and therefore research is needed. This is especially true of the sources which are stored in other places, or sources which were brought back and forth to the continent, which may not be known yet. Colmán discussed the medieval sources, sharing that it is sometimes necessary to interrogate what sources are available and in what new ways known sources can be used to highlight female monasticism and religious activity. He also says that many have not interrogated the vernacular sources, which are vital to understanding and exploring the topic. Finally, on identity, he said that there is evidence of groups redefining themselves between their exile and subsequent movement, especially many communities oscillated between Augustinian, Cistercian, and Benedictine identities.
In the meantime, Sioban Nelson asked how much influence there was from the Vincentian movement, in which humble women cared for the sick and the poor. Bronagh answered that the Vincentians did not come to Ireland, but that there were examples of women living out a form of religious expression that was not defined by claustration, between the closure of the monasteries and the official dissolution of religious life. At the end to these restrictions, there were groups which emerged to provide community services and observed some form of religious community life but were not restricted in the sense of enclosure. This, of course, upset many Jesuits, who had worries about the close working relationship between these women and the missionaries charged with their care. Especially the Tridentine clergy posed questions about these groups.
Margot Fassler recommended some sources on liturgical life. She highlighted the need to give the sources which do exist more attention, and especially to organize and present them clearly. Bronagh agreed, sharing works which catalogue the collections and will be instrumental in future research. Colman added an exciting upcoming edition of the anchoritic Rule of Godwin of Salisbury which will be released soon and will add to the corpus of available works. We will update this post with a reference to this new edition as soon as possible.
Alison More wrapped up the meeting with thanks to the speakers and those who attended, noting the fruitful session even amidst internet service interruptions due to inclement weather in Ireland.