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The Palgrave Handbook of Global Philanthropy pp 190–210Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Giving in Ireland: A Nation of Givers in a Largely Unregulated Arena

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Abstract

Ireland has a long history of philanthropy, rooted in a strong religious tradition. In the late 1700s, Protestant philanthropy helped to alleviate the physical and medical needs of the impoverished working classes (Kelly & Powell, 2010). Beginning in 1770, the incremental waning of the Penal laws1 enabled the growth of Catholic charities (Raughter, 1997). Following Catholic emancipation in 1829, greater Catholic clergy involvement in charitable activity emerged with religious involvement in philanthropy becoming more formalized in Irish society. The introduction of the Poor Laws to Ireland in 1838, which brought into existence a statutory relief system for the destitute, however, led to a fall off in charitable donations and resulted in some charities ceasing to operate thereafter (Cousins, 2008). The Irish famine in the 1840s had a further chilling effect on charitable institutions. Nevertheless, given the Poor Laws’ strict eligibility requirements for receiving relief, religious orders once more found their way to the forefront of philanthropy, providing voluntary hospitals and assisting those in need (Donoghue, Prizeman, O’Regan, & Noël, 2006).

Keywords

  • Charitable Donation
  • Global Civil Society
  • Disability Service
  • Household Budget Survey
  • Development Assistance Committee

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Authors
  1. Oonagh B. Breen
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  2. James Carroll
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands

    Pamala Wiepking (Assistant Professor) (Assistant Professor)

  2. School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, USA

    Femida Handy (Professor) (Professor)

Copyright information

© 2015 Oonagh B. Breen and James Carroll

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Breen, O.B., Carroll, J. (2015). Giving in Ireland: A Nation of Givers in a Largely Unregulated Arena. In: Wiepking, P., Handy, F. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Philanthropy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137341532_12

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