Catch-my-Pal, alternatively known as the 'Protestant Total-Abstinence Union', was an anti-alcohol organisation founded on 13 July 1909 in

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

, Ireland. The organisation closed down in January 1970, when its last club stopped operations. Its distinctive feature was that members would competitively persuade one of their friends to come with them and take 'the pledge' at each meeting. This 'Catch-my-Pal' method—a phrase coined by its founder, Rev. Robert Patterson—was later used to recruit the 'Pals' Battalions to the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

History

Rev. Robert Patterson was the Minister of the 3rd Armagh Congregation of the

Presbyterian Church in Ireland The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI; ; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Prisbytairin Kirk in Airlann'') is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the Republic of Ireland, and the largest Protestant denomination in Northern Ireland. ...

, who went on to become full-time Organising Secretary of the Union and was later Minister of the Crumlin Road Congregation in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

. Patterson was an Orangeman and a pioneer in the field of

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

and

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

inter-church relations. The Catch-my-Pal movement attracted a large number of followers in Ireland and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. In 1914, Patterson claimed that "About 140,000 men and women joined the Union during the first year in Ireland; and almost 500 branches were formed in less than two years'. While he was on a tour of the United States, Patterson told the ''

Springfield Republican ''The Republican'' is a newspaper based in Springfield, Massachusetts, covering news in the Greater Springfield area, as well as national news and pieces from Boston, Worcester and northern Connecticut. It is owned by Newhouse Newspapers, a ...

'' about the organisation's founding: Blue Plaque Patterson 2

Patterson was a well-known figure at the time, touring extensively in the British Empire and the United States. His writing was quoted approvingly by the 'baseball evangelist'

Billy Sunday William Ashley Sunday (November 19, 1862 – November 6, 1935) was an American evangelist and professional baseball outfielder. He played for eight seasons in the National League before becoming the most influential American preacher during t ...

. The organisation flourished in the years before the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, in which many of its members fought, and continued in existence in Northern Ireland,

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

through the 1950s and 1960s. The last official club closed in 1970.Belfast Telegraph, 15/1/1970 p. 10. There is a

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...

hall in

Dunmurry Dunmurry (; ) is a suburb, suburban town and townland near Belfast, Northern Ireland. Dunmurry is in the Collin (District Electoral Area), Collin electoral ward for the Local government in Northern Ireland, local government district of Belfast C ...

bearing the name Catch-my-Pal, but it is not a temperance organisation. A 'Blue Plaque' historical marker dedicated to Robert Patterson was erected on the facade of The Mall Meeting House in Armagh on 20 September 2019. It was unveiled by Rev. William Henry, the Moderator of the General Assembly.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Mall Presbyterian Church, Armagh.The Catch-my-Pal Historical UnionUnveiling of a 'Blue Plaque' to Rev. R.J. Patterson in Armagh, September 2019
(video) Temperance organizations 1909 establishments in Ireland Organizations established in 1909 1970 disestablishments in Northern Ireland Organizations disestablished in 1970 Presbyterian Church in Ireland Organisations based in Northern Ireland