Arguably, Mr O'Neill's strictures reflect a clash of temperaments.

ECONOMIST: Lexington

But the leader of a teachers' union, and former history teacher, Eamonn O'Kane, who has looked at this coursework, says that this mark does not reflect the quality of the work.

BBC: A-level marking 'grossly unjust'

According to Fintan O'Toole, columnist at the Irish Times, the softening of the public stance on abortion seems to reflect, in part, this weakening grip of Catholicism in the Republic of Ireland following the Church's child abuse scandal.

BBC: Ireland shifts as abortion debate flares