Catholics and the Law in Restoration Ireland 1660 -1691

Abstract

By 1660, the Common Law was widely, if not universally, applied in Ireland. For the English and Protestant interest, the law was the principal means of enforcing the mandate of the administration, short of military intervention. The law was also used in an indirect way as an instrument of social policy. Catholics were forced to submit to it, but they could also adopt it and use it for their own purposes. For Catholics the Common Law could be experienced as alien and oppressive, but it could also provide opportunities for the restoration of lost estates, and protection from arbitrary or unjust administration. For some, it provided a career and opportunities for social advancement. A number of eminent lawyers were prominent in advancing Catholic causes in politics and the administration, and in influencing the nature and effect of new legislation. The aim of this study is to explore the different ways in which Irish Catholics engaged with and experienced the law after the Restoration, and so gain fresh insight into the social, economic and cultural experience of Catholics in this period.