The festival opens with what it once cost to keep the faith in Ireland.
What to expect
Join us at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for a special lecture on faith in Ireland during the Penal Times, as part of Our Lady’s Rosary Festival 2026.
Historian A. Bede will explore the Penal Persecutions and the faith and perseverance of Irish Catholics during this difficult period. Mass begins at 6.30pm, followed by the lecture at 7.15pm. You are welcome to come for the Mass, the lecture, or both.
The Penal Times, briefly
From the late seventeenth century a body of laws — the penal laws — restricted what Catholics in Ireland could do: how they worshipped, how their children were taught, what land they could hold and what public office they could take. Priests were banished or made to register, and Mass was often said in secret, sometimes in the open air. The faith was handed on in homes and in hedge schools. It is that story the evening sets out to tell.
