ABSTRACT
The trips of Archbishop David Kearney to Rome and, later, to Madrid, in 1609–1610, were the origin of the Irish Mission. This chapter focuses on the gestation of this form of royal patronage, created ex novo by Philip III. The spiritual comfort provided by Paulo V was complemented with the financial aid provided by the Spanish king. The concession of a pension through the bishopric of Cádiz was the first step towards the formation of a support structure aimed at sponsoring Irish priests and friars and thus preserving Catholicism in Ireland. Similarly, the bulls which endorsed the pension, and the appointment of the Patriarch of the Indies as its administrator, set the basic pillars of the mission’s administrative structure. Kearney, however, was not fully satisfied with the pope’s decisions, and after a second trip in 1619, he succeeded in gaining total control over the pension. His death, five years later, closed the foundational phase of the Irish Mission. From that point onwards, the dominating factors were internal changes and the constant struggle for the management of the pension.
