The research for this book was prompted by a combination of events, in particular the election of Mary Robinson to the Presidency and the X Case which rocked Irish society. The book is an exploration of the dynamics between the courts, the legislators and the Irish citizens in relation to certain socio-sexual questions: divorce, contraception, abortion, and homosexuality. Spanning 73 years since the creation of the Irish State, The Politics of Sexual Morality in Ireland questions the nature of the moral order regulating Irish society and the concept of democracy underlying it. It examines the fragile balance struck between tradition and modernity.

CHRYSTEL HUG spent six years in Ireland, where she taught French at University College Cork. Sensing in 1992 that momentous changes were happening in Irish society, she focused her research on the regulation of sexual morality as per the Catholic Church and the State. After completing her Doctorate in Irish Studies, she was posted to the French Embassy in the UK as Education Attaché for Scotland and Northern Ireland. She has published in French journals of Irish studies and regularly takes part in international conferences on Irish affairs.