FROM THE ARCHIVES:The battle for souls between the main churches regularly raised local sectarian and political tensions in the 19th and early 20th centuries, as this minor case from Roscrea, Co Tipperary, indicates. – JOE JOYCE
To-day at the weekly meeting of the Roscrea Board of Guardians, Mr James Dwyer, junior, presiding, the Clerk read a letter from the Local Government Board, with reference to the case of alleged proselytism in the institution.
In the letter, the Local Government Board stated: “The Local Government Board for Ireland desires to inform the Board of Guardians of Roscrea Union that they have received the report of their Inspector Dr Smyth, on the inquiry recently held by him into the alleged tampering with the religion of a young woman, named Anne Carroll, while a patient in the workhouse infirmary . . . It will be seen from the minutes of the evidence that Anne Carroll was admitted to the Roscrea Workhouse Infirmary on November 25th, 1908, and was registered as a Roman Catholic, and that she remained there until January 21st, 1909. During that time she was visited by various friends, as well as by a Miss Davidson and a Miss Sullivan and who came to see her at the suggestion of a Miss Cruise, whom she had known.
The latter, who deposed that long before the date of her first visit to the workhouse she knew that Anne Carroll had doubts as to her faith, admitted that on that occasion she engaged with her in religious discussion, and that it was she who arranged that Miss Davidson and Miss Sullivan should go to see her. These ladies, who seem to have been under the impression that Anne Carroll was no longer a Roman Catholic, talked to her on religious subjects, and suggested that she should leave the workhouse and go to a home that Miss Davidson promised to provide for her, and this she did, apparently of her own free will. There is nothing in the evidence to show that any of the other persons who visited Anne Carroll, ever spoke to her on religious subjects, and it seems perfectly clear that the workhouse officials had no suspicion that the girl’s faith was being in any way tampered with, and that they cannot be held responsible for what occurred. Anne Carroll said she had no complaint to make against any of the officials or guardians of the institution as to not taking proper care of her religious convictions, and that she did not believe that any official was aware of religious conversations having been carried on with her by visitors. Mr Houlihan, on the part of Rev Fr Hogan PP, said he desired to have removed any reflection that might be attached to the nurses in consequence of statements which were made by him, and which he now found were based on wrong information. [ . . . ]
Mr Madden said the inquiry removed wrong impressions. Some shopkeepers had been boycotted over the affair and the inquiry showed how unjust the boycott was. It will clear the air.
A member remarked that it was “all a matter of form.”
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