After a century of wars, civil wars, internal division, political upheaval and the growing separation of Church and State, Irish society has emerged as a twenty-first-century hybrid, where the secular, liberal outlook is now, for the first time, the most common view. Ivana Bacik examines the shape and nature of this new Ireland.

She discusses such contentious topics as the make-up of the modern family, organized religion, modern sexuality, reproductive rights, equality, racism, censorship, the environment, and the central role of the legal system in formulating a framework for changing social mores. The book shows how Irish society has evolved to its current incarnation, and where it might go from here.