Accession of Queen Mary and her Irish Policy

The accession of a Catholic sovereign caused the greatest rejoicings in the Irish towns. In the Celtic parts of the country the Catholic religion had never been much interfered with, so the change of Sovereign ‘in England excited little interest.

Mary at once proceeded to restore the official position of the Catholic Church within her dominions. In Ireland she met with no opposition. The officials, and the few Anglo-Irish nobles who had changed to please one sovereign, were equally ready to please another by changing again. So, too, were most of the bishops, but some of these had offended too deeply to be forgiven. Six, including Browne, were deprived of their Sees. Hugh Curwen, an Englishman, was appointed in Browne’s place ; he afterwards proved himself an ecclesiastic of much the same type as his predecessor.

Zealous as was the Queen for the ancient Church, she was too much a Tudor not to be reluctant to part with an iota of the extended prerogative to which her father had laid claim. The title of Head of the Church, being evidently inconsistent with orthodox Catholicity, was abandoned, but that of Queen of Ireland was retained, and, though apparently with some reluctance, confirmed by the Pope.

She dealt with ecclesiastical matters in almost as high-handed a fashion as Henry himself had done. She expelled the Reforming bishops from their Sees and appointed others in their places by her own authority. Only some years afterwards were these acts of the Queen made legal, according to the usage of the Church, by confirmation from the Pope. Neither were the Irish monasteries re-established or their lands restored. It would have been difficult to do anything of the kind, without driving those who had obtained grants  of these lands into an attitude of hostility which might prove dangerous. The Church, therefore, as restored, did not regain its former position in the social and political life of the country.