Speaker: Eugene Broderick. Synopsis: The decades from 1960 to 2000 witnessed a transformation in the status of the Roman Catholic Church in the Irish Republic. It began this period as an institution which commanded near universal allegiance and respect, and apparently negotiated, with success, the challenges presented by the Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965. The visit of Pope John Paul II in 1979 became a celebration of its preeminent role in Irish society, a position from which it confronted, and frequently defeated, liberal social developments in the 1980s. However, by 2000 it was besieged by scandals and declining to a marginal position in Irish society.
Biography: Eugene Broderick is a retired secondary school principal. He is a graduate of University College, Cork, from which he holds a PhD in modern Irish history. He has served on the Governing Body of Waterford Institute of Technology and on the board of the Waterford Museum of Treasures. He is the author of six books, including; Thomas Meagher: Forgotten Father of Thomas Francis Meagher (2022); John Hearne: Architect of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland (2017); and The Boycott of Fethard-on- Sea, 1957 (2011). He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
