Heritage Podcast: In time of inquisition: preserving and using the archives of the Irish Catholic Church

It looks beyond the practical matters of conservation, preservation and dissemination of these unique records to examine some of the cultural and intellectual anxieties of both the owners and would-be readers.  It suggests that it is worth considering the attitude of the State to its records alongside the attitudes of church bodies to theirs.  It also stresses the importance of a basic literacy in theology and canon law as a pre-requisite for engagement with archives laid down by religious bodies for pastoral purposes.

About the speaker

John McCafferty is a professor of History at University College Dublin.  His work and publications are concerned with religious change in Ireland between 1500 & 1700.  He is Director of the Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Institute - a collaboration between the Irish Franciscans (OFM) and UCD.  He is currently Chair of the Irish Manuscripts Commission and Praeses of the Consiglio Dei Reggenti of the Collegio San Bonaventura Frati Editori Quaracchi based at St. Isidore’s College, Rome

About the Heritage Podcast series

The Heritage Podcast series is a collection of eight 20 minute podcasts by academic researchers and leaders of major Irish heritage institutions. The series addresses questions of critical importance in Irish heritage. Opportunities and challenges of preservation and protection of Irish cultural heritage are addressed. It also provides a valuable and educational resource recorded by experts in heritage and preservation, which is publicly accessible to prompt thought and discussion.

Developed and produced by the Historical Studies Committee of the Royal Irish Academy. Supported by The Heritage Council as part of the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage. Recorded by Real Smart Media.

Podcasts released weekly - listen to the latest episodes here