The forgotten Irishmen and women with a mission

The thousands of Irish missionaries who toiled and died around the globe have been almost written out of Ireland’s cultural memory

They went in their thousands, men and women, Catholic (and many Protestant too) from the end of the 19th century until quite recently.

Their reach stretched right across the globe from Africa to the Far East, to the Americas and Australia and other places. They were the Irish missionaries who have left an indelible mark on the world - perhaps even the most significant contribution made by the Irish race. Remarkably, nowadays, they ...