ABSTRACT
Episcopalian predominance in the landed world influenced the denominational balance in many sections of the Irish social structure. It is scarcely surprising that of the gentlemen and gentlewomen of independent means 55 per cent were members of the Church of Ireland. The Church of Ireland was also disproportionately strong in some spheres of Irish business life. The ecclesiastical organization of the Church of Ireland reflected its medieval origins. Diocesan and parochial boundaries had been shaped by historic forces working over centuries. Education in nineteenth-century Ireland was regarded as a panacea for many ills and was also a complex and controversial subject. From the beginning of the century voluntary societies, often dominated by members of the established church, were at work providing facilities for primary education. The church education society was the most prominent society associated with the Church of Ireland in the pre-disestablishment era.
