The Great Condom Debate of 1991, Limerick, Ireland

I put this video together from a tape of raw footage shot by a group of FÁS trainees back in 1991. The intention at that time had been that some of the footage would be used for a slot on RTE's Saturday morning program for young people, Scratch Saturday. But none of it ever saw the light of day due to a complaint received by RTE shortly after the filming.

For whatever reason, the trainees' tape was sitting among my father's box of old tapes, and when I came across it, I decided it would be worth editing and posting the now 30+ year old footage.

It''s an interesting snapshot in time. Although it's apparent that the Catholic Church still had a major standing in certain parts of Irish society, it was clearly already on a steady decline. The contrast in general between the attitudes of the younger generation interviewed and those of the older generation gives an insight into the extent to which the church had shaped moral attitudes in the preceding years.

Of course the influence of the church continued on a steady decline in the years that followed - for better or for worse, depending on one's point of view.