New Archbishop of Dublin addresses the evil of city’s housing situation
Dublin, 28 October 1921 – Edward Byrne was formally enthroned as the new Archbishop of Dublin at the Pro-Cathedral yesterday.
Speaking first in Irish and then in English, Archbishop Byrne confessed that his first reaction on learning the news of his appointment was one that approximated terror such were the burdens and responsibilities which came with the post. ‘My courage nearly failed me when the call came,’ he admitted, before remembering that ‘when the Holy Father calls, it is only the part of a coward to refuse to answer, and that the path of unpleasant duty is the surest way to God.’
He spoke of his love for his native city and the ‘unaffected urbanity’ and kindliness of its people, before turning to the problems of housing and poverty that blighted the city. ‘To me, as to all lovers of our people, it is a cause... of grave anxiety, that a loathsome plague-spot lies upon the fair forehead of our city.’ From his own observations during his priestly ministrations in his parish, for the city’s poor, the ‘human habitations are far worse than the well-ordered sheds the prudent farmer provides for his well-cared cattle. Those dwellings are a moral and physical source of infection, a fever swamp, whose foetid atmosphere is heavy with the germs of evil, whence seeds are being constantly wafted, bringing deadly peril to our people’s material and moral life... Something has been done to deal with the evil; but much more remains. Any efforts you may make to secure this for the workers will receive from me the most cordial support and encouragement.’
The newly installed prelate said that it was not time to speak of the political condition of the country, but said there was great hope that the ‘dawn that is breaking may be the beginning of a day whose brightness and joy will make us forget the darkness of the night that is past forever.’
Byrne replaces Archbishop William Walsh, who died in April 1921.
British Pathé footage of the enthronement of Edward Byrne as the new Archbishop of Dublin
[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]
