Rush Light & Eucharistic Congress Souvenir

"The rush light was found in the thatch of a mud walled farm house at Ballyfauskeen, near Ballylanders, County Limerick which was the family home of my maternal grandmother. It was always pointed out to each succeeding generation that this was an object to be treasured. The Eucharistic Congress was the first publicity project for the new state and it used many of the assets previously used for royal visits but for a national purpose. It also reflects the extent of our diaspora and their progress in higher echelons of the RC church and the beginnings of the unfortunate move of the Church from a defender of an oppressed people to a political lobby group."