Moral Monopoly: The Rise and Fall of the Catholic Church in Modern

Religious habitus of Irish Catholics; church organization and control; power and the Catholic church in Irish social, political and economic life; growth of the power of the institutional church in 19th-century Ireland; Irish civilizing process; transformation of Irish society; the Irish mother; decline in the Catholic church monopoly on Irish morality, 1986-97; influence of the Catholic church on modern Irish society.

"This is a fascinating and very readable study of the growth and diminution of the Church's influence over all aspects of life in Ireland from the beginning of the last century up to the present." The Irish Emigrant Book Review March 1998 "This fine book avoids the juvenile tendency prevalent in recent times, to deride the Catholic Church. Even when Inglis criticises the Church he does so with reasoned arguments and non-hysterical tone. As a result he valuably contributes to debate on the Church's future in Ireland." Denis Carroll RTE Guide Sept 1998 "This is a fascinating and very readable study of the growth and diminution of the Church's influence over all aspects of life in Ireland from the beginning of the last century up to the present day." Boston Irish Reporter May 1998