Islamophobia, Anti-Muslim Racism and Conceptions of Irish Homogeneity

Historically informed notions of belonging in the Irish context have come to be perceived as inextricably intertwined with, among others, membership of the Catholic faith (Tracey 2000). In the periods prior to and post independence, this racialised Catholic Irishness has become institutionalised in Irish society (Fanning 2002; Garner 2009). In what follows, I will demonstrate the manner in which the collocation of Catholicism with Irish identity has resulted in exclusionary practices towards those who do not fit this idealised identity.