[10][11] It has been described in Church, State and Social Science in Ireland as "the Irish organisation most durably associated with combating Catholic economic subordination," as it sought, after formation, to break through the hegemony of a Protestant minority in public institutions and commerce.

[2] This key encyclical, issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, addressed the exploitation of industrial workers and encouraged membership in labour unions, while rejecting the extreme solutions offered by both socialism and laissez faire capitalism.

In it, the dire need for Catholic action on the topics of education, respect for property, maintaining order, and justice in the social classes was expressed.

The emergence of hire purchase in Ireland was predominantly linked to equipping newly-formed households, and a 1946 report by the Knights of Columbanus highlighted that the absence of thrift among the youth, inadequate wages, and the lack of family allowances within the prevailing wage structure had compelled young couples beginning married life to acquire goods through the hire purchase system.

The organisation expressed fears over the absence of legal safeguards for buyers, noting the financial strain this placed on impoverished Catholic families.

In a frank radio interview, he acknowledged that some members exploited the order for personal gain, to advocate for censorship, and to shape government policy in line with Catholic ideals.

Grogan’s background as a barrister equipped him with strong communication skills, allowing him to handle media scrutiny with composure and charm during challenging interviews.

"[19] He leveraged the order as a platform to advance his philanthropic goals, championing causes related to social responsibility and the wellbeing of various marginalised groups, including emigrants, the impoverished, the travelling community, former prisoners, orphans, and the unemployed.

On one occasion, a delegation from the College of Physicians, headed by its president, Dr. Howley, and comprising prominent officers of the Knights of St. Columbanus, visited to bestow upon him 'the Borgia ring,' a valuable amethyst from the fifteenth century, purportedly worn by certain mediaeval Popes.

On June 25, 1942, McQuaid informed a gathering of the Knights of St Columbanus that he had frequently encountered criticisms regarding their preoccupation with personal, social, and business progress, likening them to the Catholic equivalent of the Masonic Order.

Under the direction of Dublin City's Chief Planner, Michael O'Brien, who was a fervent member of the Knights of St. Columbanus, McQuaid implemented an initiative to establish a significant Catholic suburban axis to counteract the central hegemony of Trinity College and the Protestant teaching hospitals.

McQuaid complained directly to Eamon de Valera that, as Archbishop of Dublin, he should be allowed to make reference to Catholic social principles.

[30] Similarly to McQuaid, Bishop Michael Browne of Galway utilised the Knights of St. Columbanus in promoting the ubiquitous anti-communist fervour in Ireland during the 1940s.

In 1955, McQuaid mobilised influential supporters in the Knights of St. Columbanus to antagonise the FAI when Ireland had agreed to host Yugoslavia (being a Communist country) in an international soccer match.

McQuaid later thanked O'Flynn for his fight against what they regarded as vulgar productions, and left him to speculate about what the Knights might achieve throughout the nation by their pursuit of an orderly and broad resistance.

The State's censorship rules did not apply to theatre, but a pre-independence Act of the Westminster Parliament allowed the Gardaí to close an 'indecent' play, and prosecute the producer.

[30] During the 1950s, when Dr. Noel Browne TD, a left-wing Minister for Health of the Clann na Poblachta party, sought to introduce the infamously controversial 'Mother and Child Scheme,' he faced significant opposition from McQuaid.

Previously, in June 1948, the Minister for Justice, Seán MacEoin TD, who was a member of the Knights of St. Columbanus, assured its 'Supreme Council' that every effort would be made to prevent any escalating conflict between the Church and the State.

[30] During the first Inter-Party government, St. Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (Ireland's primary seminary), was running an annual deficit in its management accounts.

[32] McQuaid was also believed to have been the source of a phenomenon in which Catholic medical doctors (who were members), would swell the AGMs of non-Catholic hospitals, and assume control of voluntary boards.

The Knights, being a Catholic lay organisation devoted to serving Christ in all areas of daily life, including the workplace, secured a majority at the Protestant-run Meath Hospital's AGM.

[33] In 1948, following the emergence of the Cold War and the likely prospect of a Communist victory in the Italian general election that year, Pope Pius warned of the perceived stark choice between Christianity and "Atheistic Communism."

[35] In the late 1960s, when Taoiseach Jack Lynch TD flouted the concept of developing a pluralistic Ireland, he ducked from lifting a ban on contraception when McQuaid confronted him.

The professional middle-classes who comprised part of the Knights' membership were especially dedicated on the behalf of McQuaid's "highly effective homespun intelligence system" to protecting a Catholic outlook within government and politics.

[38] The former government minister, Fine Gael's Oliver J. Flanagan TD, who, by the mid-1980s, was one of the longest serving parliamentarians in the Western world, was a staunch member of the organisation, and regarded as a "thorn in the side of the more liberal elements within the Church and his own party.

One recent example of this was the Order's opposition to the repeal of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland which legally permits abortions in the country under a broader range of circumstances.

A national project undertaken by Area 3 in 2017 involved the sourcing and subsequent tour of Ireland with a relic of Saint Teresa of Calcutta on the 20th anniversary of her death.

Some of their apostolic projects include assisting with the work of St Vincent de Paul, facilitating special church services such as for examinations, and ReKindling Faith in the Housebound.

In the spirit of Canon O’Neill's vision for education, the Award facilitates awareness of the role of the Catholic Church in the world and engagement at a deep level with Christ.

A televised Mass was also celebrated by Bishop Dónal McKeown on RTÉ with past and current participants of the Award and Supreme Knight Gerald Harbinson on 18 December 2017.