Abstract
The Catholic Church has had a central part in the Irish society's life and identity since its independence in 1922. The State conceded huge areas of social policy to the Catholic Church. By linking patriotism with morality, the Church acquired a complete control over politic, cultural, social and economic matters. However, this is no longer the case and the Church is now directly influenced by the other countries. Through a series of examples in different areas, we will show how the Irish modern Society has changed, through the decline of its central power: the Roman Catholic Church. In Ireland, there used to be a peaceful cooperation between the Church (moral teaching) and the State (laws) . However in front of the weakened Church, the State has begun to gain more and more power and no longer supports the institutions of the Church. The State has proved its growing independence in building its own schools, hospitals, and welfare systems.
