The decision of the Holy Ghost Fathers to hand over management control of five venerable schools signals the end of an era. It is no exaggeration to suggest that this is another of those defining moments that mark the modernisation of this State. As they leave the crease, the Holy Ghost Fathers are certain to be buoyed by the enormous reservoir of goodwill that exists for individual fathers who have taught or managed in these schools and more generally for the schools themselves. All of the Holy Ghost schools have established a proud record of academic and sporting excellence. But what is most striking is how warmly and affectionately past pupils speak of their school days; not all citizens of this State have such fond memories.
For the Holy Ghost fathers and the other religious schools, the decision to invest in teaching the future elite of Irish society was not entirely altruistic. The hope was that the Church would influence the decision-making class in business and among the professions and, by so doing, raise moral standards and spiritual fervour across the wider society. It was a noble aspiration, which has, to some degree, shaped what we are as a society. For the most part, the citizens of this State remain generous with regard to the needs of others, modest about our achievements and conscious that one must serve God and Mammon.
For all that, it must be acknowledged that the real influence of the Holy Ghost Fathers, and other religious orders, has declined. On the cusp of the new millennium, is there really a sense that business practices and ethics in Irish society are higher than elsewhere, despite the character-forming work of the Holy Ghost Fathers and others over the generations?
This society has great reason to be grateful to the Holy Ghost Fathers and the other teaching orders. Blackrock College itself was established at a time when there was little formal education for Catholics. The Holy Ghost schools have been schools of excellence of which any State would be proud. The continuing great demand by parents to entrust their children to the Holy Ghost Fathers, shows that these standards have not wavered, although in the modern egalitarian age awkward questions have begun to be asked about the concept of religious order involvement in elite, fee-paying schools for the middle and upper classes.
Inevitably, the change in management in the Holy Ghost Fathers' Schools must raise wider questions about the dominant role of the Catholic Church in education. Religious practice in this State may have declined appreciably and vocations have virtually stalled but the Catholic Church still exercises a dominant role in education. In most Irish schools, at both primary and secondary level, the balance of effective power is tilted towards the church, rather than the parents or the teachers. For their part, the Holy Ghost Fathers have faced up to the changes swirling all around them. But there are few signs that this Government is ready to build a modern education system which more properly reflects the realities of modern Ireland.