The debate around the part played by religion in Irish schools is nothing new, the Church of Ireland's bishop of Cork has claimed.

According to the Irish Examiner, the Right Reverend Paul Colton told a seminar at University College Cork that minority religions have been overlooked in Irish education as Catholicism has held sway.

The bishop said: "Until now, the majority religion in Ireland, understandably because of its size, hasn't had to give much consideration to the position of minorities."

Rev Colton's remarks follow education minister Batt O'Keeffe's declaration that ten urban areas in Ireland would be part of a new scheme to lower the number of Catholic schools, a move welcomed by Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin.

In February, Dublin City University professor Michael Cronin wrote in the Irish Times that compulsory religious education in Ireland had been a failure, evidenced by "repeated instances of malpractice in Irish public life".

Written by Donal Walsh

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