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Nangle of the myth of souperism

Uploaded by Kerrytom on Aug 10, 2013

Nangle and the myth of ‘Souperism’

The fourth area of criticism of Nangle’s life, and probably the most enduring one, is the allegation that he and the mission engaged in ‘Souperism.’ The term ‘souperism’ is pejorative and implies either that Nangle favoured Protestants first when it came to handing out relief aid and food during the Famine, or that food aid was used during the Famine to tempt or entice people to abandon their Catholicism and to become Protestants.

The principle foundation for allegations of ‘souperism’ against Nangle and the mission arise from the visit of Mr and Mrs SC Hall to Achill in 1842, and their subsequent report of what they saw at Dugort in a large and widely-read book, Ireland, Its Scenery and Character. The Halls were disparaging in their account of the mission, and the damaging publicity their book brought to the mission was compounded further with the publication of Asenath Nicholson’s account of her visit to the island in 1845. [96]

Nangle said the Halls were hardly in a position to evaluate his work having visited the island for less than two days, and the mission settlement for merely a few short minutes. We should remember too that that first visit to Achill by the Halls came a good four or five years before the Great Famine reached Achill, and Mrs Nicholson’s visit a year or two before the Famine reached the island.

What is often forgotten is that the Halls returned to Achill once again in 1849 and paid tribute to the work of the mission staff during the crisis months of the famine, saying they were ‘indefatigable in their efforts to raise funds’ and ‘distributed with no sparing had to those who must otherwise have perished.’ [97] By 1853, the Halls were trying to avoid being drawn into comment on the island and advised visitors to make their own judgment; but by then Nangle had left Achill, and the allegation of ‘souperism’ dogged him for the rest of his life.

Perhaps if we listen to the people of Achill rather than the Halls we might be better able to assess the nature of Nangle’s relief work. In March 1848, hundreds of people from Dooniver, Bullsmouth and Ballycroy approved a declaration of thanks to Canon Nangle for supplying them with potatoes and turnips from one of the mission farms in Inishbiggle; without the food, they said, they would have starved....

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Uploaded by:   Kerrytom

Date:   08/10/2013

Category:   History

Length:   2 pages (437 words)

Views:   2103

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