I remember taking an intro to Canon Law class from an Irish Dominican priest in Rome. He said that they typically offered night mass in Ireland at 11 or before because most bars had "last call" at 12 and the patrons would try to stumble to mass afterwards.
Let's not forget how this interacts with Can. 905! Because Christmas Eve is not a holy day of obligation, priests can only offer two Masses that day, which causes problems in areas, like mine, where everyone wants to go to Mass on Christmas Eve. But a Mass at true midnight counts toward the three Masses allowed for Christmas, allowing effectively three parishes Masses to be offered "on Christmas Eve."
Interesting history, beautifully recounted. Merry Christmas!
I remember taking an intro to Canon Law class from an Irish Dominican priest in Rome. He said that they typically offered night mass in Ireland at 11 or before because most bars had "last call" at 12 and the patrons would try to stumble to mass afterwards.
Let's not forget how this interacts with Can. 905! Because Christmas Eve is not a holy day of obligation, priests can only offer two Masses that day, which causes problems in areas, like mine, where everyone wants to go to Mass on Christmas Eve. But a Mass at true midnight counts toward the three Masses allowed for Christmas, allowing effectively three parishes Masses to be offered "on Christmas Eve."