When it comes to sex, teachers appear to be more in tune with what is going on among young people than their parents, according to Lessons in Irish Sexuality by Tom Inglis (UCD Press).

These are fraught times for parents, what with all the media hype on teenage pregnancy and indeed the reality of AIDS, and the above news is hardly reassuring.

While imparting moral values is very important to many, protecting their children from any perceived harm which may arise from being sexually active at a young age is of enormous concern to all parents.

Tom Inglis's book traces the history of sex education in Ireland, with particular reference to the involvement of the Catholic Church and how this impacted on Irish sexuality - and, more recently, the involvement of the church in the new Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) programme.

How and when to speak to their children about sexual relationships has become a growing concern for parents in recent years.

Meanwhile, as a result of a number of highly publicised unwanted pregnancies, writes Inglis, in 1994 Minister for Education Niamh Bhreathnach decided to introduce a programme on sexuality to Irish schools. Since its inception, RSE has met considerable controversy.

According to Inglis, there is what appears to be quite an organised body of parents who feel this programme does not impart moral values relating to sexuality which concur with the values they want to impart to their children - i.e., Catholic values. However, while it does represent the first state involvement in sex education, Inglis points out that RSE is ultimately influenced by the Catholic Church - which might be considered questionable by the many parents sending their children to school here who are not practising Catholics.

Inglis concludes that ". . . there is no one truth about sex and sexuality. Different truths emerge from different discourses and perspectives. These divisions and contradictions make relationships and sexuality education more necessary now than ever before."

The book is fascinating when it comes to issues surrounding the history of Irish sexuality. Under the influence of the Catholic Church, even talking about sex could be an occasion of sin, so most young people up until recently would have grown up with little or no understanding of reproduction, never mind any Nineties notions of being comfortable with their bodies. Indeed Inglis refers to the famous tales of parish priests rooting courting couples out of the bushes following the local dance - field-day material for Freudian analysts, surely.

Inglis examines Irish sexuality in relation to what he describes as the four relevant discourses - traditional, radical, liberal and progressive; the book is an intriguing examination of what is shaping Irish teenagers' sexuality.

On Inglis's own admission, Lessons in Irish Sexuality does "not resolve any of these issues", but it places the sort of questions parents will be asking in a useful and informative context.