Karina Bénazech Wendling offers a re-assessment of souperismthe long-debated claim that food was used to convert Irish Catholics to Protestantism during the Great Famine. Focusing on the Irish Society for Promoting the Education of the Native Irish through their Own Language, the first group labeled soupers in 1841, she uncovers a more complex picture. Rather than a mere tool of British cultural imperialism, the Society had a deep engagement with the Irish language and Bible translation, while also encouraging religious conversions in the West. The book explores the Societys role in Irelands religious and political landscape, the rise of Catholic counter-missions, and nationalist resistance. Offering fresh insights into Irelands religious history and global missionary movements, this book is essential for scholars of Irish studies, interdenominational relations, and education in Ireland. -- .
