"A Challenge to Democracy candidly examines the role, the activities and the influence of Catholic lay organisations and militant Catholicism on politics and Irish society. Militant Catholicism was one of the most powerful and influential forces operating in Ireland throughout the twentieth century. The movement was pivotal in helping to direct and consolidate public opinion, in copper-fastening the Catholic-Irish identity and in helping to enshrine the moral code in Irish law. It also had a resounding impact on the drafting of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland. And, long after its heyday, it continues to have a particular influence on Irish politics, as was seen in the run up to the Lisbon Treaty" --