Once the Terror of His Flock – Now the Laughing Stock: Rise and Decay of the Clerical Master Narrative in Modern Irish Literature and Beyond

Since the 5th century Christian monks and (later) Catholic priests gradually adopted the leading positions within Irish society, thereby initially replacing the Celts’ heathen spiritual rites, the ethical codex and societal norms as propagated and preserved by the lawyer, druid, and seanchai with their own master narrative. The cleric’s leadership in worldly and spiritual matters within Irish private and social life has rendered him the pivotal role in a master narrative in which the status quo of Irish Society at different times is mirrored. This master narrative has been of central importance to Irish literature but has undergone a massive change in recent times.