Church and children

THE terrible irony is that when state provision for education was first being introduced in Ireland a few of decades after the Act of Union, the Catholic Church opposed the system as it would be “interfering with the family”, even though this was only for daily attendance at primary level and children would continue to live at home, returning there after classes every day.

Eventually, schools were established on a denominational basis.

In contrast, when the first industrial schools were built at the latter end of the 19th century, it was alright for families – some marital, but most non-marital – to be interfered with to fill vacancies in institutions right up until the late 20th century, often before children even reached schoolgoing age.