In 1978, the Dalkey School Project opened its doors to provide Ireland’s first multi-denominational school. Driven by the support of Fianna Fáil leader Jack Lynch and the Labour Party, it acted as a catalyst for what has been a (very) gradual shift towards alternative options to religious education. It did not pass without opposition however, with the Minister for Education Richard Burke speaking negatively of the concept. Its mere existence sparked a debate in Irish society, where the given norm had been that the Catholic Church dictated education from the earliest stages of childhood. 

47 years later, and it’s an unfortunate reality that this debate has not been entirely quelled. The role of the Catholic Church has become far less apparent in all areas of Irish society – in all areas except the classroom. This is particularly evident in primary schools, with 94% being religious run. In post-primary education, it has slightly improved. Preliminary enrolment figures for the 2024/25 school year reveal that multi-denominational schools currently account for 48.6 per cent of all second-level students with 47.6 per cent attending post-primary schools with a Catholic ethos. 

The School Abuse Report.

Any discussion of the role of the Catholic Church (and religious organisations more broadly) in education cannot continue without focus on the rampant sexual abuse which took place in religious-run schools. The fundamental change that occurred by virtue of these horrific revelations has led to a seismic shift in the values and attitudes pervasive in Irish society. Beginning in the 1990s, a series of criminal cases and government inquiries revealed that hundreds of priests had abused thousands of children in Ireland over decades. A report published in 2009 described the abuses as ‘endemic’ in Irish Catholic church-run industrial schools and orphanages. The most recent inquiry (and the most thorough) has reported almost 2,400 allegations of sexual abuse made in 308 schools run by religious orders spanning a 30-year period. It also notes that it is likely that the true number of allegations made is much higher given the level of underreporting of childhood sexual abuse. Even with the previous knowledge of rampant abuse, the sheer scale is horrifying. 

In the Wake of the Inquiry

The primary recommendation of the Inquiry has come to fruition, namely, the establishment of a Commission of Investigation into the Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Schools. Mr Justice Michael McGrath has been appointed to chair the commission, supported by commissioners who each have their own respective role in continuing the scoping inquiry. These steps are (while long overdue) quite positive. It may allow for a full account of the scale of abuse, forcing Ireland to reckon fully with this traumatic past. It provides an outlet for many victims who have never had the opportunity to share these experiences until now, and grants a feeling of justice truly being served. Additionally, it may allow the opportunity for victims to sue the given religious orders (or the State) for compensation. 

The Inquiry as a Catalyst for Change. 

These steps act as necessary support for the survivors of these abuses, but fail in tackling the central issue – the systemic abuse. Behind all of this abuse was a State which was irrevocably linked to the Church, who turned a blind eye to the horrors that unfolded under its watch. Take the example of the Carrigan Report Affair in 1931. The report pointed to the increasing amount of sexual crime, particularly towards children. When this was shared with De Valera’s cabinet, it was advised by Minister for Justice James Geoghegan that it should not be published as it was ‘too one-sided’. This is just one of the many examples that exist to show the central issue is systemic. 

The argument I intend to make is relatively straightforward. The recent inquiry must act as a desperately needed final push to complete the journey the Dalkey School Project inadvertently began. No longer should religious organisations have any influence in the public education system. The time has come for complete secularisation. 

The point may be argued that these abuses are no longer ongoing, and additionally, members of these religious organisations no longer compose the faculty of the majority of schools. Therefore, the same need has been achieved, namely, the protection of children. In response to that I’ll make two points. Firstly, there must be accountability. Aside from the prosecution of individual figures who carried out these abuses, there must be a reckoning for the Church as a whole. 

A continuation of the relationship between the Church and the public education system grants a passive forgiveness. Taking this point even further, it subtly permits this behaviour existing within the fabric of the Irish State. Complete divestment of the Church from the public education system makes a very clear point – the modern Irish State will no longer tolerate any continuation of such an appalling legacy. 

My second point is that said divestment must occur in order to aid Irish society in moving on from the collective trauma these abuses have induced. The inquiry noted how some participants believed that, given how pervasive abuse in schools was, that State and Church institutions were colluding to implement cover-ups of abuse. This continued relationship between the State and the Church has inevitably played a role in increased mistrust in the State as a whole. How can we trust the State to deliver justice when the relationship which caused so much harm continues to exist (albeit diminished from what it once was)? The only plausible solution is to radically shift the makeup of the current education system. 

An essential point to be made (although less relevant to the Inquiry) is that Ireland is now far more culturally and religiously diverse, a trend which is likely only to grow in the coming years. Irish society as a whole has become far more secularised, and thus, there is a need for “a more responsive, pluralistic approach to religious education in Ireland”. This is not to say that religion class is unimportant, however, the goal should be to make it objective – To educate rather than indoctrinate.