This book documents an informal system of education that emerged in Ireland between the late 1750s and the end of the century, a system that operated largely without funding or direction by church or state. In a society as divided as eighteenth-century Ireland, it is remarkable that such a system could succeed, paving the way for the more formal…

Ireland is in the grip of a postmodern cultural deconstruction on many levels. The traditional "grand narratives" are increasingly viewed with suspicion and disenchantment as Ireland struggles to understand its evolving identity. There is a growing need for comprehensive interdisciplinary research that will facilitate teaching and…

The implications of disestablishment for Catholic objectives in higher education in Ireland, 1869-1879, are discussed, and the interrelationship of the questions of Church, land, and university education in Ireland is examined. Attention is directed to the extent to which the force of Ultramontanism, as expressed in the Catholic hierarchy's…