Bonaventura Ó hEoghusa's "An Teagasg Críosdaidhe" (1611/1614): A Reassessment of Its Audience and Use

Abstract

The publication of An Teagasg Crtosdaidhe in Antwerp in 1611 marked a water shed in the history of Irish exiles in the seventeenth century. It was not only a catechism in the Tridentine mould but also the work of an individual, Giolla Brighde 0 hEoghusa, native of Clogher diocese, intimate of Gaelic Ireland, distinguished poet and Irish Franciscan. His catechism was born out of a desire to make general Christian doctrine, as communicated through the Tridentine catechisms, accessible to an Irish-speaking audience. His catechism was to act as a bridge between popular religion in Gaelic Ireland and the international religion of the catholic reform.