the influence of the Catholic Church on the formation of Irish social policy.
The fundamental principles of Irish social policy have not changed since the development of a welfare state begun under British rule in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. A consistent feature of the state‟s approach to social policy has been its willingness to share institutional responsibility for the welfare of its citizens with private, that is, non-state organisations. This was formally started under British rule in the nineteenth century when the welfare of its Irish Catholic citizens was largely given over to the Catholic Church (Ingles,
1998). In the twentieth century the newly established Irish Free State allowed the Catholic
Church to continue its domination over moral and welfare matters. Although the powerful control of the Church diminished in the latter part of the century, it still remained a potent force as it was the main non-state provider of a range of services such as education, health and to a lesser extent, social services. In this essay I will look at the background of church and state interaction, from our colonial past, to the establishment of the Free State, to modern day Ireland. I will chronologically analyse the church state relationship, with reference to three main areas of Irish social policy, health care, education and social welfare.
With the passing of the Catholic Relief Act 1829, British politicians had begun to realise that their attempt to banish Catholicism from Ireland through persecution had failed.
Nevertheless, any sign of native unrest or large gathering of Catholics 'struck terror into the hearts of the protestants ' Wall, (1967, p.44). According to Lecky the British administration realised that ' higher Catholic clergy, if left in peace, were able and willing to render inestimable services to the Government in suppressing sedition and crime’, (1916, p.86).
Among the key reasons for allowing the Catholic Church to begin to exert control over the
Irish masses was the fear in Britain of
1998). In the twentieth century the newly established Irish Free State allowed the Catholic
Church to continue its domination over moral and welfare matters. Although the powerful control of the Church diminished in the latter part of the century, it still remained a potent force as it was the main non-state provider of a range of services such as education, health and to a lesser extent, social services. In this essay I will look at the background of church and state interaction, from our colonial past, to the establishment of the Free State, to modern day Ireland. I will chronologically analyse the church state relationship, with reference to three main areas of Irish social policy, health care, education and social welfare.
With the passing of the Catholic Relief Act 1829, British politicians had begun to realise that their attempt to banish Catholicism from Ireland through persecution had failed.
Nevertheless, any sign of native unrest or large gathering of Catholics 'struck terror into the hearts of the protestants ' Wall, (1967, p.44). According to Lecky the British administration realised that ' higher Catholic clergy, if left in peace, were able and willing to render inestimable services to the Government in suppressing sedition and crime’, (1916, p.86).
Among the key reasons for allowing the Catholic Church to begin to exert control over the
Irish masses was the fear in Britain of
Bibliography: Considine, M. & Dukelow, F. (2009). Irish Social Policy, A Critical Introduction. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan Ltd. Ingles, T. (1998). Moral Monopoly. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan Ltd. Lecky, W. (1916). A History of Ireland in the eighteenth century. London: Longmans Green. Powell, F. (1992). The Politics of Irish Social Policy 1600 – 1990. United Kingdom: Edwin Mellen Press. Wall, M. (1967). The Penal Laws. Dundalk: Dundalgan. Whyte, J. (1980). Church and State in Modern Ireland 1923 - 1979. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan Ltd.