CHAPTER 12

 

The Enduring Influence

 

All those far seas and shores that must be crossed,

They terrify me; yet

Go you, my son, swift be your cleaving prow

And do not quite forget

 

– Colman, c. 7th century

 

 

      During the millennium covered in this book - from the 700's to the 1800's - men and women from Ireland had a steady influence on the formation of Europe.  It was during this millennium that the origins of Western culture were laid in the Carolingian Renaissance, Christianity took root throughout Europe, universities were founded, the bases of science were established, nations were formed, democracy was established, and the various states of Europe became interrelated by diplomatic and economic activity.  Irish émigrés had significant, and in some cases major, parts in each of these developments in the formation of Europe.

      The unusual aspect of this steady, multifarious and identifiable influence of the Irish is that they did not bring anything essentially novel to Europe.  Irish lore and activities stimulated the seeds of Celtic culture which remained in Europe after the Roman Empire collapsed and during the barbarian invasions and rule.  The re-emergence of fundamentals of Celtic culture in Europe from the influence of the Irish émigrés was not so strong that these fundamentals supplanted aspects of Roman civilization and barbarian culture which had taken root.  But the spirituality and knowledge the Irish related, the skills they taught and the effects of their activities ensured that Celtic culture, along with classical and northern barbarian culture, would play a permanent and central part in Europe's history and cultural development.

 

      The remarkable influence of the Irish in Europe stemmed not only from the qualities the Irish émigrés brought with them - qualities that were primarily reflections of ancient Celtic culture.  It also stemmed from the pattern of Irish emigration over the millennium, plus the numbers of Irish in this pattern.  Although there were dips in this pattern of emigration - most notably the period from the waning of the Carolingian Renaissance (c. 900) until the late Middle Ages (c. 1300) - over the entire millennium, the Irish influence is seen as continual.  Although the numbers of Irish émigrés - almost all monks - fell markedly in the late 800's, the influence of generations of monks up until this time was such that it remained strong and formative despite not being regularly reinforced or extended by the fewer numbers of monks who came to Europe afterwards.

      One of the principal reasons the monks journeying to Europe towards the end of the Dark Ages had such a long-lasting influence was the sturdy monasteries they built which became spiritual and educational centres for the surrounding populations.  A number of these monasteries survive today, engaged in the same spiritual and educational work as they were in the time when they were founded.  The early Irish monks determined the purpose and set the tone for these early medieval monasteries, establishing customs and observances continued by following generations of monks whether they were from Ireland or not.  Another reason the influence of the early monks lasted beyond their time is that they taught the rudiments of practical activities such as growing crops and animal husbandry.  During the Middle Ages, such practices continued virtually unchanged, so that the methods taught by the monks remained in use for centuries.  A third reason why the influence of the monks persisted is that the monks influenced the spirituality, interests such as education, and other aspects of the manner of rule of petty kings in different parts of Europe.  This manner of rule adopted by the petty kings in the period of change from the Dark Ages to the Middle Ages continued long into the Middle Ages, thus prolonging the influence of the early Irish monks.

      Another important reason that their influence continued was that the Middle Ages were an embodiment of basic cultural elements that were strongly influenced by the monks, and in some cases were almost direct reflections of them.  The monks had a strong influence on the development of the Christian spirituality which became bound in the Middle Ages.  The closeness between the spiritual leaders and temporal rulers had its basis in the relationship between the Irish monks and the petty kings.  But more than this, the monasteries founded by the Irish monks were the models for the manors upon which feudalism - the foundation of the Middle Ages - was based.  Like the monasteries, the manors were meant to be self-sufficient.  The manors were meant to provide for the spiritual concerns as well as the practical needs of the people involved in them.  The variety of skills possessed among groups of monks who founded a monastery - such as stone masonry, woodcraft, animal husbandry - were possessed by the varied persons who belonged to a manor.  The class structure with its reciprocal obligations by which a manor's self-sufficiency could be maintained was a more complex and explicit representation of the organization of a monastery.  The influence of the Irish monks in the beginnings of the Middle Ages shaped the spirituality and way of life which came to be the main feature of the Middle Ages.  Since the Middle Ages were a long period of stability during which there was no significant change in the spirituality or the way of life, the influence of the Irish lasted long beyond their appearance in Europe.

      When Irish émigrés again began arriving in Europe in appreciable numbers towards the end of the Middle Ages - in the 1400's - they readily adapted to the broad changes underway in the culture of Europe which was moving into the Renaissance and the modern era.  Whereas the monks of the late Dark Ages and early Middle Ages had come to Europe primarily for spiritual motives, the later generations of émigrés were soldiers, merchants, farmers, nobles, artisans and teachers, along with some priests and nuns.  This diversity of positions and occupations enabled the latest Irish émigrés to integrate into varied positions in European societies when the feudal system was breaking up, cities were growing, ties between different regions and different countries were forming, and secularization was altering perspectives.  Because the Irish had not been involved in the feudal system, they often brought fresh ideas and new practices to the fields they became engaged in; and some of the émigrés became leaders in those fields.  Apart from the ideas and practices the later émigrés brought with them, they were accepted because of the favourable memory of the monks who had long age preceded them and because, like the monks, they touched vestiges of the ancient Celtic culture they shared with the Europeans.

      New émigrés and descendants of previous émigrés from Ireland were involved in the trends shaping the Europe of the modern world during the Renaissance.  The central movement shaping Europe at this time was the Protestant Reformation.  Although Irish émigrés and their descendants played only a small role in those European countries that largely became Protestant, the Irish helped Catholicism to remain vibrant and dominant in those European countries which resisted the Reformation.  The numbers of Irish lay persons who were staunchly Catholic, along with the activities of Irish clergy, contributed to the strengthening of Catholicism in countries such as France and Austria which had sizeable Protestant minorities.  Many émigrés played roles in shaping the responses of these countries to Protestantism, which responses figured heavily into the nature of these countries in the modern world.  For instance, in helping certain countries of Europe remain Catholic, the Irish also played a role in their secularization.  The Irish had never been authoritarian, hierarchical or ceremonious in their practice of Catholicism.  Yet they had always been defenders of Catholicism.  In the close interrelationship between Church and State in the Middle Ages, it had been bishops, cardinals and popes representing Roman Catholicism, not Celtic Christianity, which influenced the kings and nobility that ruled a country.  Even though many countries in Europe remained Catholic, despite the major historical movement of the Protestant Reformation, they were nevertheless inevitably much affected by the trends of secularism of the time.  When such trends brought about the increasing separation of Church and State, the influence of the Irish émigrés and their descendants grew.  Although strong Catholics, the Irish always had a more practical and democratic approach to daily life, political and social matters, as well as religious views.  This practical and democratic approach was more in tune with the secularization of the era, and therefore the Irish often had considerable influence with a country's ruler and in the fields such as business and medicine which were developing as a part of the secularization.

      Besides secularization, nationalism was another movement which emerged following the Middle Ages.  The Irish, with their sense of individuality and concept of clan loyalty, played substantial parts in the nationalistic trends shaping a number of the countries of Europe.  These parts were played not only by Irish counsellors, diplomats, statesmen and government officials, but also by Irish military leaders and soldiers.  The exploits of military units led by Irish officers or all-Irish military units helped Spain from being conquered by Napoleon's forces, Portugal from losing territory to Spain, and Austria from being defeated by Frederick the Great of Prussia.  Such exploits not only epitomized the nationalistic spirit, but also led to the geographic shape of a number of the nations of modern Europe.

      Although the Irish émigrés had a capacity for adaptability which allowed them to cope with changing social conditions and historical developments over centuries in Europe, they also had a worldview which gave them a stability in particular circumstances and in the course of historical changes.  The Irish had a holistic worldview that had its origins in Celtic culture.  As with the ancient Celts, the Irish saw knowledge, spirituality, and practical abilities and skills as interrelated.  This worldview enabled Irish émigrés to offer solutions to the problems perceived by rulers and local populations of Europe.  There were times when the solutions offered could seem almost visionary.  But besides this practical dimension of the worldview, it also afforded the émigrés and their descendants a position in the changing circumstances which kept them from adopting absolutist forms or radical ideas for dealing with the changing circumstances and problems they became involved in.  Thus, while genuinely and firmly Catholic, the Irish never completely accepted the doctrines or the absolutist authority of the Pope.  With their Catholicism, the earlier émigrés were welcomed across Europe; and then when the influence of Catholicism began to wane with the Protestant Reformation, the Irish did not undergo a change in their principles or beliefs in order to play a role in the secularization of the countries which remained Catholic.  They played their influential role without having to change the Catholicism they always practised and by resisting the Protestant Reformation.  This unique position the Irish would hold in historical changes occurring in Europe is perhaps best evidences in the reliance of different European monarchs on the Irish as counsellors and diplomats in the transition of their countries from kingdoms into nations and also as advisors and political leaders for reforms in response to the movement of democracy.  While being mostly egalitarian and democratic from their Celtic roots, émigrés nonetheless served rulers and nobility loyally and effectively.  When democratic tendencies grew in European societies, the émigrés were well suited to serve a country's monarchs by helping in their response to these tendencies.  In these circumstances, the Irish acted on their inherent beliefs and principles without joining the revolutionary movements growing in the countries of Europe.

      Despite their exceptional capacity for adaptability and their focus on particular problems or needs in various European societies at different times, the Irish worldview remained constant during the centuries of emigration.  It had the effect of reinforcing the accomplishments and qualities of earlier generations of émigrés, which substantiated the Irish influence on Europe.

 

      Not only the pattern of the generations of Irish émigrés, but their number accounted for their exceptional influence.  Their numbers were not so large that they could not be absorbed by the countries they went to, but not so small that they were assimilated without a trace.  Because their numbers were not so large and were spread out over the whole period of emigration and several countries, following generations of Irish were welcome in countries favoured by the émigrés.  In these countries, since the numbers of previous émigrés had been enough so that there was nonetheless an Irish presence, following generations of émigrés were attracted to them.  The intermediate number of émigrés also enabled particular Irish who became distinguished in different fields to gain their prominent and influential positions.  There were never so many Irish in any one country that its rulers and other leaders or its native population were concerned that Irish who rose to prominence were leading the way for an Irish take-over of a field.

      The basis for the Irish influence was not only the interaction between Irish émigrés and populations of the countries they went to, but also the interaction among Irish within a country and between generations of émigrés.  This basis can be illuminated by a comparison of the Irish with both the barbarian tribes of northern Europe and the Jews.  The barbarians of northern Europe came to Europe in such numbers that they overturned the societies based on Roman administration and reflecting the Roman domination.  They replaced this Roman system with their own hodgepodge of petty kingdoms.  These kingdoms were basically warrior societies in which the crafts and arts slipped into desuetude and spiritual inclinations had no outlet.  The culture and characteristics of the barbarians obviously dominated Europe.  But the Irish never came to Europe, or any part of it, in such hordes that they had such a totally transforming effect.  Rather, the Irish were like waters of nourishment or were innovators in various fields, usually fields they were assigned to or allowed to enter by the rulers of a country.

      When compared to the Jews, the Irish were present in greater numbers, and over a considerably broader range of fields.  Thus, although particular Jews made notable or outstanding achievements in certain fields, these achievements were based on the particular qualities of the individual, not cultural attributes.  Thus where Jews had exceptional influence over a field of the broader culture, this is seen as reflecting practices of the existing culture, not materially contributing qualities or capacities of Jewish culture to the traditional culture of a country.  Jewish culture was just not compatible with the culture of Europe in the essential way that the Irish culture was with its Celtic roots.  Besides, there were not following numbers of Jewish émigrés to reinforce and substantiate the achievements of individual Jews.

      Besides the qualities, enterprise and innovative spirit of the Irish émigrés which were reflections of their culture of Celtic origin, their emigration pattern over the geography of Europe and the numbers of émigrés spread over the centuries of emigration were factors in their identifiable, unique and enduring influence on European history and culture.

      To note this exceptional influence of the Irish émigrés on the formation of Europe as we have in this book is not to minimize or disregard the influence of national characteristics, ethnic traits, or other immigrant groups.  To note this Irish influence, however, is to point to the common ground of Celtic culture from which their particular influences arose.  The story of the influence of outstanding Irish individuals and descendants and the numbers of Irish émigrés is to bring to light a significant influence on the formation and nature of Europe; and it also discloses its foundation in Celtic culture and the reawakening and ongoing influence of this culture which was represented most clearly by the Irish.