He returned to Ireland in his mid-forties with a group of
people that included family members and spent the next twenty-five years there
until his death. His mission was to gain the adherence of existing Christians
in Ireland – mainly slaves and refugees - to the rule of the Roman church and
to ensure that new converts among the indigenous Irish community also accepted
the claim of the Roman church to be “the one true church of God”.
The course will examine the historical context of his mission
in Ireland. This includes a review of the development of Irish society prior to
his arrival; the history of Christianity, particularly in England and Ireland;
an examination of the crises in the Roman Empire; and the major social and
political events in western Europe impacting the situation in Ireland in the fourth
to sixth centuries A.D.
The course will also examine the strategies employed by Saint
Patrick to achieve his mission, the specifics of his achievements, and the role
played by some of his siblings.
A special part of the course will be an
examination of the writings of Saint Patrick: the “Confessio” and a “Letter to
the Soldiers of Coroticus
To enroll, email seanmurphy630@gmail.com Course fee: $80
Famous people from Kerry include: Michael Collins, Mother Jones, Saint
Finbarr, Richard “Boss” Croker, George Boole, Annie Moore, Henry Ford, Rory
Gallagher, Sonia O’Sullivan, Una Palliser, Christy Ring, Jeremiah O’Donovan
Rossa, Jack Doyle, Sam Maguire, Niall Toibin, Seán Ó Faoláin, Sarah Greene.
According to local folklore the first foot was planted on
Irish soil at Dún na mBarc (the place of the boat) on the shores of
Bantry Bay in 2680 BC.
The Corcu Loígde, meaning Gens of
the Calf Goddess, were a kingdom centered in West County
Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of Munster,
the Dáirine, of whom they were the central royal sept.
Cork city was originally a monastic settlement founded
by Saint Finbarr in the 6th century. Vikings attacked the monastery
there in 820.
Keyser’s Hill, leading to the south bank of the Lee, close to
the South Gate Bridge—is the only place in Cork that still has a Viking name.
The town of Baltimore was depopulated in 1631 in a slave
capture raid by Barbary pirates from either Algeria or Salé
(Morocco).
On 26 June 1644 Lord Inchiquin decreed the expulsion of the
Irish and Catholic population of Cork from the city.
Fastnet Rock is known as "Ireland's Teardrop” because
it was the last part of Ireland that 19th century Irish emigrants saw as they
sailed away.
The Lusitania was a British ship that was sunk by a German
U-boat (U-20) on the 7th of May 1915.
The Sinn Fein Lord Mayor, Terence MacSwiney died October 1920
after 74 days on hunger strike. Cork Republicans were to the
forefront of the Irish War of Independence.
Michael
Collins was ambushed and assassinated in his home county of Cork at Béal na Bláth
in August 1922 during the Irish Civil War.
County Cork has two areas where the Irish
language is the first language – Muskerry and Cape Clear Island
To enroll, email seanmurphy630@gmail.com Course fee: $80