How Irish Music Helped Break the Catholic Church’s Power

For much of the twentieth century, the Catholic Church shaped almost every aspect of Irish life education, sexuality, family, politics, shame and silence.But long before Ireland changed politically, Irish artists began documenting the emotional cost of that world through music.From Christy Moore’s response to the death of Ann Lovett… to Sinéad O’Connor tearing up a photograph of the Pope on live television… to Hozier, Marriage Equality, Repeal the 8th and Fontaines D.C… this episode explores how Irish music became both witness and protest during one of the most profound cultural transformations in modern Irish history.Part music documentary, part cultural essay, this is the story of how songs carried truths Ireland often struggled to say aloud until eventually the silence itself began to collapse.