The immense power the Catholic Church once wielded in Ireland has considerably diminished over the last fifty years. During the same period the Irish state has pursued new economic and social development goals by wooing foreign investors and throwing the state's lot in with an ever-widening European integration project. How a less powerful church and a more assertive state related to one another during the key third quarter of the twentieth century is the subject of this book. Drawing on newly available material, it looks at how social science, which had been a church monopoly, was taken over and bent to new purposes by politicians and civil servants. This case study casts new light on wider processes of change, and the story features a strong and somewhat surprising cast of characters ranging from Sean Lemass and T.K. Whitaker to Archbishop John Charles McQuaid and Father Denis Fahey.

The purpose of this book is to present a comprehensive explanation of the origins, development and decline of vocationalism in twentieth-century Ireland. Vocationalism, based on papal social teaching, featured prominently in social Catholicism through the 1930s and 40s. The vocationalist lobby demanded radical reforms which, if realized, would have replaced the political, economic and social structure of Irish national life with corporatist organizations based on Roman Catholic social principles. In the newly independent southern Irish state, with its large Catholic majority, vocationalism attracted significant support and the extent of its popular appeal in the 1930s is reflected by the inclusion of vocationalist provisions in the Constitution of Ireland (1937). The popularization of vocationalist ideas occurred against a background of momentous political developments. Popularization, however, did not lead to spontaneous proliferation and growth of vocational organizations. Despite the difficulties which confronted them, the vocationalists persisted with their demands, attempting to persuade successive Irish governments to implement their recommendations. This book examines the outcome of their protracted campaign, focusing in particular on the attitude of Ã?Â?Ã?Â?amon de Valera.

Established in 1854 University College Dublin (UCD) has made a significant contribution to Irish life, producing graduates of distinction. This book uncovers forgotten aspects and controversies of the college, including an account of the Gentle Revolution of 1968-9.

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