Book excerpt: "Apart from highlighting the clash between the demands of nationalism and the role of the education system, the volume shows how criticism of the compulsory Irish policy was stifled; the resultant effect on the education system and the levels of attainment of pupils; and the attempts to apply compulsion more widely, including in competitions for public sector employment. In assessing the long-term costs of the strategy, both social and economic, Adrian Kelly illustrates the dangers in allowing ideology to win over pragmatism in the formulation of policy."--BOOK JACKET.