Milestone celebration at MIC Thurles
Mary Immaculate College (MIC) hosted a special symposium to mark the 175th anniversary of the historic Synod of Thurles, one of the most significant events that shaped modern Irish Catholicism. Organised by MIC’s Department of History and the Irish Institute for Catholic Studies, in association with the MIC Thurles School of Education, the event took place on Thursday, 4 December at St Patrick’s campus, MIC Thurles.
The 175th Anniversary Symposium, brought together leading historians and scholars to reflect on the national synod that convened in August 1850—held in the wake of the Great Famine and widely regarded as a defining moment in the so-called ‘devotional revolution’. The synod’s wide-ranging regulations reshaped religious practice, strengthened clerical authority and helped establish the structures and devotional culture that would influence Irish society well into the twentieth century.
Keynote speakers on the day included Dr Niamh Nic Ghabhann Coleman, Associate Professor at the University of Limerick; Dr Sarah Roddy, Associate Professor at Maynooth University and Professor Salvador Ryan of Maynooth University. Each took the audience down a different path, teasing out the historical, social and religious significance of the Synod and the traces it still leaves behind today.
Professor Salvador Ryan traced how devotional and sacramental life in Ireland shifted before and after the Synod of Thurles, pulling together evidence that surprised more than a few people in the room. Dr Sarah Roddy followed with a sharp look at the Synod, the laity and money, opening questions about power and everyday financial pressures that still feel oddly familiar. Dr Niamh Nic Ghabhann Coleman then brought everyone into the architectural story, showing how chapels and cathedrals grew alongside the Irish Catholic hierarchy across two centuries. Together, their talks left people mulling over the Synod’s legacy in fresh and unexpected ways.
Speaking at the event, Dr Liam Chambers, Head of the Department of History at MIC, said the anniversary offered an important opportunity for renewed reflection. “The Synod of Thurles—one of the crucial events of modern Irish history—took place in 1850 in what is now, the Thurles campus of MIC. Despite its significance, the synod has not always received the attention it deserves. This symposium provides an opportunity to reconsider the synod, as well as the changes in Irish Catholicism in the mid-nineteenth century, which had such an enduring influence not only on religious practice but also on the development of modern Ireland. We are delighted to welcome a wonderful group of distinguished speakers to examine the synod in historical context, and to reflect on its complex and contested legacy.”
Reflecting on the event, Bishop Brendan Leahy, Bishop of Limerick said: “The Synod of Thurles marked a defining moment in the story of Irish Catholicism, and today's gathering offered a valuable opportunity to reflect on its legacy. I was encouraged by the thoughtful scholarship shared today and by the willingness to engage with the past to better understand the challenges and responsibilities of the present. Events like this help us see our history not as something distant, but as a living inheritance that continues to inform our path forward, also as we move along the Synodal pathway today.”
The symposium also featured a guided historical tour of MIC Thurles, with special access to the College’s historic Croke library, the original site of the Synod’s proceedings.