Church control of schooling untenable, says Archbishop

The Archbishop of Dublin has reportedly said that the Catholic Church's near monopoly over schooling in Ireland is untenable and fails to reflect current realities.

Reports this morning say Diarmuid Martin made the remark in a speech last night to members of the Irish Primary Principal Network.

He reportedly said Catholic education still has a place in Irish society and criticised people calling for control of Catholic schools to be handed over the State.

However, he admitted that the church's current dominance of primary education is an "historical hangover" and is "in many ways detrimental to the possibility of maintaining a true Catholic identity in Catholic schools".