Irish Voices from the Spanish Inquisition - by Thomas O'Connor (Paperback)

From the Back Cover

This book explores the activities of early modern Irish migrants in Spain, particularly their rather surprising association with the Spanish Inquisition. Pushed from home by political, economic and religious instability, and attracted to Spain by the wealth and opportunities of its burgeoning economy and empire, the incoming Irish fell prey to the Spanish Inquisition. For the inquisitors, the Irish, as vassals of Elizabeth I, were initially viewed as a heretical threat and suffered prosecution for Protestant heresy. However, for most Irish migrants, their dual status as English vassals and loyal Catholics permitted them to adapt quickly to provide brokerage and intermediary services to the Spanish state, mediating informally between it and Protestant jurisdictions, especially England. The Irish were particularly successful in forging an association with the Inquisition to convert incoming Protestant soldiers, merchants and operatives for useful service in Catholic Spain. As both victims and agents of the Inquisition, the Irish emerge as a versatile and complex migrant group. Their activities complicate our view of early modern migration and raise questions about the role of migrant groups and their foreign networks in the core historical narratives of Ireland, Spain and England, and in the history of their connections. Irish Voices from the Spanish Inquisition throws new light on how the Inquisition worked, not only as an organ of doctrinal police, but also in its unexpected role as a cross-creedal instrument of conversion and assimilation.

Review Quotes

"Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this remarkable volume will be required reading for anyone interested in early modern history in general and migrant history in particular." (Salvador Ryan, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Vol. 69, 2018)

"This book accomplishes the admirable feat of both illuminating a topic that remains obscure and using well-known sources in surprisingly new ways. ... this is a very important book that helps establish a framework for future research. It is without a doubt a must-read for students of early modern history and the history of migration more generally." (Freddy C. Dominguez, Irish Theological Quarterly, Vol. 82 (2), May, 2017)

"This new book aims to provide a groundbreaking analysis of the activities and role played by the Irish migrants in Spain and in the Spanish colonies in America during the early modern period. ... O'Connor's book is an outstanding and extremely well-researched investigation that has contributed to a significant expansion of the historiography on the cultural, political, and religious links that existed between Ireland the Spanish monarchy." (Matteo Binasco, The Catholic Historical Review, Vol. 103 (2), 2017)

About the Author

Thomas O'Connor teaches history in Maynooth University, Ireland. He has authored several works on the Irish abroad, including a book on Irish Jansenists, and edited or co-edited four volumes of essays on the Irish in Europe. Currently co-editing two collections on Catholic colleges abroad, he is editor of Archivium Hibernicum and directs Maynoooth's Irish in Europe Project.