Download or read book Piety and Privilege written by Tom A. O'Donoghue and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For centuries, the Catholic Church ran schools around the world, but by the 20th century most countries had moved to a state school system. Piety and Privilege shows Ireland as an exception, with the state financing schools, leaving the Church to promote practices aimed at salvation of souls and at the reproduction of a loyal middle class.