There was a good attendance on Thursday 2nd October in Lislea Community Centre at the at the first of our three-week series of talks by Dr. Miriam Moffitt, on the history of Christianity in Ireland, starting with the arrival of Saint Patrick. We looked at the world in which Patrick lived and at the political events that were happening at the time.
We also examined the evidence we have about Patrick’s life and noted that some sources are more trustworthy than others. Importantly, we studied the different ways in which the arrival of St Patrick and the establishment of the Christian faith in Ireland was understood in different religious denominations.
We did this by looking at how the story of Saint Patrick was related in textbooks formerly used in schools under Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Catholic management, so that we could identify the similarities and differences between the accounts, and offer explanations for how and why accounts taught in different schools varied from each other.
On Thursday 9th October, Dr. Miriam Moffit will focus on the growth and development of Christianity in Ireland, and it’s influence overseas.
