Michael McCarthy (Irish lawyer)
Encyclopedia
Michael John Fitzgerald McCarthy (born in Midleton
, County Cork
1864; died 26 October 1928) was an Irish lawyer and an anti-clerical author.
seminary
in Cork City, at Midleton College and took a B.A.
at Trinity College Dublin in 1885. In 1887 he was called to the Irish Bar
.
. He described his books on Ireland as sociology
. He also wrote a novel (Gallowglass) and a book on the emerging power of Japan
in 1905.
His method was to extract statistics
showing how Irish poverty from the 1870s was largely caused by the large donations often made by poor and undereducated Irish Catholics to the Church. He worried that nobody was prepared to criticise the way the Church spent its money, and that its emphasis on religious devotion was sapping the self-reliance of the population. He mentioned that though the Irish Catholic population had slowly declined by 27% between 1861 and 1901, the number of its priests, nuns and bishops had increased by 137%. Given his Catholic middle-class family background and early training in a seminary, he had a particular insight into the mindset of his Church at the time.
In regard to Church-run industrial schools, he reported that the per-capita annual amounts paid by the British government to the Church were greater than the fees charged by private Catholic boarding schools. He deplored that the Dublin administration exercised little oversight in the Church's spending of public money and its management of publicly-funded schools and other institutions.
, and the English socialist Harry Quelch
. His statistics were also used by Irish loyalists who were worried that Home Rule would become "Rome Rule
". So trenchant were his arguments that McCarthy came to oppose Home Rule
before 1910, and the eventual creation of the Irish Free State
in 1922.
Several of his anti-clerical works were influential on James Joyce, according to Joyceian academics, and he owned a copy of "The Irish Revolution" (1912).
Midleton
Midleton, historically Middleton , is a town in south-eastern County Cork, Ireland. It lies some 22 km east of Cork City on the Owenacurra River and the N25 road, which connects Cork to the port of Rosslare...
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
1864; died 26 October 1928) was an Irish lawyer and an anti-clerical author.
Youth
McCarthy was the son of Denis and Catherine McCarthy. In 1887 he marred Margaret Ronayne of Donickmore, near Midleton. He was educated at the VincentianVincentian Family
Vincentian Family refers to organizations that are inspired by the life and work of St. Vincent de Paul, a 17th century priest who "transformed the face of France."...
seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in Cork City, at Midleton College and took a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
at Trinity College Dublin in 1885. In 1887 he was called to the Irish Bar
Bar Council of Ireland
The Bar Council of Ireland is the regulatory and representative body for barristers practising law in the Republic of Ireland. The Council is composed of twenty-five members composed of twenty elected members, four co-opted members and Attorney-General who holds office ex officio. The elected...
.
Author
Notably and almost uniquely for an Irish nationalist, McCarthy was opposed to the increasing social influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland, on the approach to Irish independence. As the Catholic Church still controls most Irish schools and universities, his books and independent approach have not received much attention in the last century. They were best-sellers in their day, and had an influence on commentators such as James JoyceJames Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
. He described his books on Ireland as sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. He also wrote a novel (Gallowglass) and a book on the emerging power of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1905.
His method was to extract statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
showing how Irish poverty from the 1870s was largely caused by the large donations often made by poor and undereducated Irish Catholics to the Church. He worried that nobody was prepared to criticise the way the Church spent its money, and that its emphasis on religious devotion was sapping the self-reliance of the population. He mentioned that though the Irish Catholic population had slowly declined by 27% between 1861 and 1901, the number of its priests, nuns and bishops had increased by 137%. Given his Catholic middle-class family background and early training in a seminary, he had a particular insight into the mindset of his Church at the time.
In regard to Church-run industrial schools, he reported that the per-capita annual amounts paid by the British government to the Church were greater than the fees charged by private Catholic boarding schools. He deplored that the Dublin administration exercised little oversight in the Church's spending of public money and its management of publicly-funded schools and other institutions.
Influence
McCarthy's anti-clerical views were shared by and influenced the later works of Frank Hugh O'DonnellFrank Hugh O'Donnell
Frank Hugh O'Donnell , born Francis Hugh MacDonald was an Irish writer, journalist and nationalist politician.-Early life:...
, and the English socialist Harry Quelch
Harry Quelch
Henry "Harry" Quelch , known exclusively by his nickname "Harry," was one of the first Marxists in Great Britain. He was a socialist activist, journalist and trade unionist...
. His statistics were also used by Irish loyalists who were worried that Home Rule would become "Rome Rule
Rome Rule
"Rome Rule" was a term used by Irish unionists and socialists to describe the belief that the Roman Catholic Church would gain political control over their interests with the passage of a Home Rule Bill...
". So trenchant were his arguments that McCarthy came to oppose Home Rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
before 1910, and the eventual creation of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
in 1922.
Several of his anti-clerical works were influential on James Joyce, according to Joyceian academics, and he owned a copy of "The Irish Revolution" (1912).