It was announced recently that more than 200 secondary schools run by the State Education and Training Boards are to phase out specifically Catholic symbols and practices.

This sort of move has been long discussed, with many campaigning to get religion ‘out of our schools’, and I would even go further, that some would like to see religion out of society completely.

Is that a realistic aim; specially in a country like Ireland, which owes much of its culture and history to the influence of religion?

Joining Kieran on Wednesday's edition of The Hard Shoulder was Ronan McCrea, who is Professor of Constitutional and European Law at University College London, who believes that trying to take religion out of society is a very careful balancing act.