During the boom years, enrolments in state second-level schools plummeted as private education moved into the mainstream and well-off parents came to regard it as an essential lifestyle choice for their son or daughter.

At one stage during this period, the Department od Education reported 20,000 unfilled places in "free" second-level schools in Dublin. But this has changed dramatically over the past year or two, with "free" schools on Dublin's southside experiencing a huge surge in enrolments.

Many fee-paying schools are under increasing financial pressure as incomes drop, while the abolition in the Budget of special state supports for Protestant schools is adding to their difficulties. Some fee-paying schools have had to raise their fees significantly for the 2008-09 academic year. (Source: Irish Times)