Description
The many reforms needed in the Catholic Church in Ireland include restructuring its 26 dioceses. Their boundaries, unchanged since they were arranged in the twelfth century, no longer match the distribution of the Catholic population.
Historian Adrian Empey shows in detail how Church structures in Ireland were transformed in 1100s – from being linked to areas influenced by monasteries to the diocesan system we now know.
Geographer Des McCafferty shows how dioceses should normally generate, or at least be based, on a sense of place and a sense of identity. Ten other writers examine a range of relevant topics. They draw comparisons with diocesan re-organisation undertaken by the Church in France and by the Church of Ireland.
