Penal Laws (Ireland) in the context of "Catholic emancipation"

Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws. Requirements to abjure (renounce) the temporal and spiritual authority of the pope and transubstantiation placed major burdens on Roman Catholics.

Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral (Irish: Ardeaglais Naomh Fionnbarra) is a Gothic Revival three-spire Church of Ireland cathedral in Cork city, Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Lee and dedicated to Finbarr of Cork, patron saint of the city. Formerly the sole cathedral of the Diocese of Cork, it is now one of three co-cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Christian use of the site dates back 7th-century AD when, according to local lore, Finbarr of Cork founded a monastery. The original building survived until the 12th century, when it either fell into disuse or was destroyed during the Norman invasion of Ireland. Around 1536, during the Protestant Reformation, the cathedral became part of the established church, later known as the Church of Ireland. The previous building was constructed in the 1730s, but was widely regarded as plain and featureless.

The cathedral's demolition and rebuild was commissioned in the mid-19th century by an Anglican church intent on strengthening its hand after the reforms of penal law. Work began in 1863, and resulted in the first major commissioned project for the Victorian architect William Burges, who designed most of the cathedral's architecture, sculpture, stained glass, mosaics and interior furniture. Saint Fin Barre's foundation stone was laid in 1865. The cathedral was consecrated in 1870 and the limestone spires completed by October 1879.

The Twelfth (also called Orangemens' Day) is an Ulster Protestant celebration held on 12 July. It celebrates the Glorious Revolution and victory of Protestant king William of Orange over Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne, which ensured an Anglican Protestant Ascendancy and the passing of the Penal Laws, which restricted Catholics. On and around the Twelfth, large parades are held by the Orange Order and Ulster loyalist marching bands, streets are decorated with Union Jacks and bunting, and large towering bonfires are lit. Today, the Twelfth is mainly celebrated in Northern Ireland, where it is a public holiday, but smaller celebrations are held elsewhere, such as Scotland, Canada, and Australia.

The Twelfth began in the late 18th century in Ulster, and many Ulster Protestants see it as an important part of their culture. Catholics and Irish nationalists see it as anti-Catholic and supremacist. Since the beginning, it has been occasionally accompanied by sectarian violence, especially during times of political tension. Orange marches through Catholic neighbourhoods, and the burning of Irish flags on bonfires, are especially controversial. The Drumcree conflict is the most well-known dispute involving Orange marches. Sectarian violence around the Twelfth worsened during the Troubles, but today, most events pass off peacefully. Recently, there have been attempts to draw tourists to the main Twelfth parades and promote them as family-friendly events.

Edmund Ignatius Rice, F.P.M., C.F.C. (Irish: Éamonn Iognáid Rís; 1 June 1762 – 29 August 1844) was a Catholic missionary and educationalist who founded two institutes of religious brothers: the Congregation of Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers.

Rice was born in Ireland at a time when Catholics faced oppression under Penal Laws enforced by the British authorities, though reforms began in 1778 when he was a teenager. He forged a successful career in business and, after an accident that killed his wife and left his daughter disabled and with learning difficulties, devoted his life to the education of the poor.