Boston was always considered a very "Irish Catholic" base and yes I would expect that you got a strong taste of what it was to be an Irish Catholic. I have no doubt about that. Both Cushing & Spellman were household names & faces from the newspapers here in Ireland at the time. Limitations of space here prevents me from describing an all embracing church across the country. Priests were on every type of social committee and saw it as their right to govern and prescribe. It was a suffocating atmosphere that was presented as holiness and concern; to protect the moral fabric of the country. In reality it was the domination of the people of Ireland by the hierarchy aided and abetted by conservative Catholic politicians.
The exposed clerical child sex abuse scandal and cover-up, shook the population to the core. The Assoc. of Irish Priests are in effect in "push back" mode being fully aware of how the Irish people reacted and they are endeavoring to influence the hierarchy towards change.