 Political candidates and political leaders found the language invaluable.Irish was an integral part of the "devotional revolution" which marked the standardisation of Catholic religious practice, and the Catholic bishops (often partly blamed for the decline of the language) went to great lengths to ensure there was an adequate supply of Irish-speaking priests.Irish was widely and unofficially used as a language of instruction both in the local pay-schools (often called hedge schools) and in the National Schools.