The State We Are In: A State Beyond Religion

As part of 'The State We Are In' series of social documentaries examining issues of concern to contemporary Ireland, this six-part series looks at the consequences for Irish society of the decline in power and influence of the Catholic Church in this country. The series is produced and presented by Doireann Ní Bhriain.

The signature tune to the programme is from Nollaig Casey's album The Music of What Happened. (Old Bridge Music OBMCD15 ), track 3 Ye Clarges' Lamentation (The Clergy's Lamentation)

Click on the programme date to listen to the show

Programme 1: 31st May 2004
Programme 1 is entitled 'The Way We Were' and looks back at the extent of the Catholic Church's power and influence in the last century. The generation which grew up in the 50s and 60s was brought up in a world where the Church's influence permeated virtually every sphere of life. From public areas like education, health, politics and the media to private matters of morality - with a particular emphasis on sexual morality - the church was in control. Less than two generations later, that control has largely gone. This programme puts the change in context. Among the contributors to the programme are Dr. Tony Fahey Research Professor in policy research at the Economic and Social Research Institute (www.esri.ie)

Dr. Tom Inglis is a Professor of Sociology in University College Dublin. He is author of Moral Monopoly, The Rise and Fall of the Catholic Church in Ireland (Gill & Macmillan Ltd 1987, 2nd edition University College Dublin Press 1998)

Betty Hilliard is a lecturer in Sociology at University College Dublin. Her article. The Catholic Church and married womens' sexuality was published in the Irish Journal of Sociology Vol 12.2, 2003.

Programme 2: 7th June 2004
The second programme in the series deals with the withdrawal of the Catholic Church personnel from the Irish education system. Declining vocations have brought a dramatic reduction in the numbers of religious teaching staff. What has this meant for the State, and for the Church? Are we heading towards a secular education system, or will people still want the Church to play a role in their children's education? Among the contributors to the programme are Prof. John Coolahan of NUI Maynooth, Fr. David Tuohy, education consultant, and Breda O'Brien, teacher and Irish Times columnist.

Programme 3: 14th June 2004
Programme 3 deals with the impact of loss of faith among Catholics in Ireland: on a personal level, with decreasing attendance at Mass, and on a community level where the church does not have the central role it used to have. Now that the old certainties are gone, where do people find meaning now? Is a la carte Catholicism the most likely option for most? Are more people choosing to reject religion? Among the contributors to the programme are Bishop Willie Walsh of the Diocese of Killaloe and Ciaran Benson, professor of psychology at UCD.

Programme 4: 21st June 2004
Programme 4 discusses the changing presence of the Catholic Church in Irish public life. Participants are Prof. Ivana Bacik of TCD, theologian Cathy Molloy from the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, Dr. Tony Fahey of the ESRI and Prof John Coolahan of NUI Maynooth.

Programme 5: 28th June 2004
Programme 5 in the series deals with the Catholic church's relationship with the media. Among the contributors are DCU professor of journalism John Horgan, sociologist Tom Inglis and teacher and columnist, Breda O'Brien.

Programme 6: 5th July 2004
The final programme in the series looks at the relationship young Irish people have with the Catholic Church and at what is in store for the Church in the future. Among the contributors are Breda O'Brien, Prof Tom Inglis of UCD, Fr. David Tuohy, Bishop Willie Walsh, Prof. John Horgan of DCU.