Abstract

“A Wall of Separation”. The Destruction of Religious Ambiguity in Ireland (ca. 1600–1640)

Ambiguity is a fundamental human experience. But in recent years, research in the humanities and social sciences has shown that societies have very different ways of dealing with ambiguity, and with religious ambiguity in particular: they either tolerate, moderate or seek to destroy it. In this context, Ireland is an especially telling case, as the denominational boundaries that were drawn in Early Modern Irish society seem remarkably impervious, long-lasting and hostile to any form of religious ambiguity.

In this article, I argue that one of the most drastic and most enduring attempts to eradicate ambiguity in Irish society took place in the 1630 s. Clear-cut identities emerged along the confessional divide which heavily impacted everyday life. Four developments facilitated this process: 1) Educational migration to the continent led to a reshuffling of religious elites and, in turn, to a heightened sense of denominational orthodoxy. 2) A new way of writing history came to prominence which attempted to replace established group identities (Gaelic-Irish, Old English, etc.) with an all-embracing, religiously infused notion of “Irishness”. 3) The book market gradually expanded, significantly increasing its scope from a generation earlier, with new literature coming in and with new libraries being established across the country. As a consequence, readers became more keenly aware of the theological debates in England and on the European continent. 4) Long established funeral practices such us the trans-confessional use of burial plots in churches and former monasteries were disrupted, leading to new boundaries, symbolically as well as physically.