Congress returns to a changed Ireland

SOME people went without meat.

For three weeks before the Congress opened, the butchers of Dublin suffered a decline in business. The conclusion was that among the poor, many were going without basics, so that money could be set aside to decorate their homes. Far more important than proper nourishment was that the brightest colours be hung out, while the eyes of this world and the next, were on Dublin.

So it went for the Eucharist Congress’s last visit to these shores in 1932. Tomorrow, the congress returns to Dublin for the first time in 80 years.