Religion in the Republic of Ireland

The predominant religion in the Republic of Ireland is Christianity, with the largest church being the Catholic Church. The Constitution of Ireland says that the state may not endorse any particular religion and guarantees freedom of religion.

Religions in the Republic of Ireland (2016)[1]

Catholicism (78.3%)

Protestantism (4.2%)

Eastern Orthodoxy (1.3%)

Other christians and other religions. (4.8%)

Islam (1.3%)

No religion (10.1%)

The Christianisation of Ireland is associated with the 5th-century activities of St. Patrick.

In the 2016 census, 78.3% (3.7 million) of the population identified as Catholic which is 132,220 fewer than 5 years earlier in 2011 when the percentage stood at 84%.[2]

The next largest group after Catholic was "no religion". 10% of the population (468,421 people) had no religion or did not indicate a religious belief according to the census.[3] This was a 73.6% increase from 2011[4] Researchers debate the relative significance of secularisation as a general feature of Irish society, the interpretation of census results and the extent to which religious syncretism is becoming more widespread.

The second largest Christian denomination, the Church of Ireland (Anglican), declined in membership for most of the twentieth century, but has more recently experienced an increase, as have other small Christian denominations. Other significant Protestant denominations are the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, followed by the Methodist Church in Ireland. The country's Orthodox Christians, Hindus and Muslims populations have experienced significant growth in recent years, due chiefly to immigration, with Orthodox Christianity being the fastest growing religion in Ireland.[5][6]

Politics

St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland (part of the Anglican Communion).

Originally, the 1937 Constitution of Ireland gave the Catholic Church a "special position" as the church of the majority, but also recognised other Christian denominations and Judaism. As with other predominantly Catholic European states, the Irish state underwent a period of legal secularisation in the late twentieth century. In 1972, the article of the Constitution naming specific religious groups, including the Catholic Church, was deleted by the fifth amendment of the constitution in a referendum.

Article 44 remains in the Constitution. It begins:

The State acknowledges that the homage of public worship is due to Almighty God. It shall hold His Name in reverence, and shall respect and honour religion.

The article also establishes freedom of religion (for belief, practice, and organisation without undue interference from the state), prohibits endowment of any particular religion, prohibits the state from religious discrimination, and requires the state to treat religious and non-religious schools in a non-prejudicial manner.

Education

Despite a large number of schools in Ireland being run by religious organizations but funded by the state, a general trend of secularism is occurring within the Irish population, particularly in the younger generations.[7] Many efforts have been made by secular groups to eliminate the rigorous study in the second and sixth classes, to prepare for the sacraments of Holy Communion and confirmation in Catholic schools. Parents can ask for their children to be excluded from religious study if they wish. However, religious studies as a subject was introduced into the state administered Junior Certificate in 2001; it is not compulsory and deals with aspects of different religions, not focusing on one particular religion.

Christianity

Saint Patrick, shown here preaching to kings, was a Romano-Briton Christian missionary and is the most generally recognised patron saint of Ireland.

Christianity is the largest religion in the Republic of Ireland based on baptisms. Irish Christianity is dominated by the Catholic Church, and Christianity as a whole accounts for 82.3% of the Irish population. Most churches are organized on an all-Ireland basis which includes both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Irish travellers have traditionally adopted a very particular attitude to the Catholic Church, with a focus on figures such as "healing priests". More generally a tradition of visions continues, often outside of Church sanction.

Evangelical movements have recently spread both within the established churches and outside them. Celtic Christianity has become increasingly popular, again both within and outside established churches.

The patron saints of Ireland for Catholics and Anglicans are Saint Patrick, Saint Brigid and Saint Columba. Saint Patrick is the only one of the three who is commonly recognised as the patron saint. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in Ireland and abroad on 17 March.

Eastern Orthodoxy in Ireland is represented mainly by recent immigrants from Eastern European countries, such as Romania, Russia, or Ukraine, and accounts for 1% of the population.

Church attendance

Church attendance in the Republic of Ireland
Year	% of weekly church attendance in Republic of Ireland[8][9][10]
1973	91	91
1984	87	87
1985	85	85
1990	85	85
1990	81	81
1991	79	79
1995	64	64
1996	66	66
1998	60	60
2002	48	48
2003	50	50
2005	34	34
2005	44	44
2006	48	48
2007	67	67
2007-2008	42	42
2008	45	45
2009	46	46

Church attendance among Irish Catholics
Year	% of weekly church attendance among Irish Catholics[11][12]
1972-1973	91	91
1981	87	87
2007-2008	44	44
2010	45.2	45.2
2011	30	30
2018	35	35

According to a Georgetown University study, the country also has one of the highest rates of regular Mass attendance in the Western World.[13] While daily Mass attendance was 13% in 2006 there had been a reduction in weekly attendance from 81% to 48% between 1990 and 2006, although the decline was reported as leveling off.[14] In the 1970s a survey had given figures at 91%.[15] In 2011, it was reported that weekly Mass attendance in Dublin was on average 18%, with it being lower among younger generations and in some areas less than 2%.[16][17] A 2012 survey of Irish Catholics undertaken by the Association of Catholic Priests found the weekly mass attendance rate to be 35% on an all-island basis, while daily mass attendance was reported at 3%.[18] The Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal in Ireland in the 1990s and 2000s provided motivation for some Catholics to stop attending or disaffiliate from the church.

No religion

A 2006 Dentsu poll found that 7% of Ireland had no religion. According to Greeley (2003), 5% of those in Ireland do not believe in God, but only 2% accept the self-identification of "atheist". According to Ingelhart et al. (2004) and Davie (1999), 4% of the Irish do not believe in God.[19]

In a 2007-2008 Gallup Poll, 42% of Ireland answered no to the question "Does religion occupy an important place in your life?" and in the 2011 Gallup, 53% of Ireland answered no.

A 2010 Bishops Conference survey found that 10.1% of Irish Catholics did not believe in God.[20]

According to a 2012 WIN-Gallup International poll, Ireland had the second highest decline in religiosity from 69% in 2005 to 47% in 2012, while those who considered themselves not a religious person increased 25% in 2005 to 44% in 2012. The poll also showed that 10% of Ireland now consider themselves convinced atheists, which is an increase from 2005.[21]

These percentages decreased again, however, from 2012 to 2016, resulting in the pie chart seen below.[22]

Judaism

The earliest recorded presence of Jews in Ireland was in 1062 in the Annals of Inisfallen.[23] As of 2016, the total population listing their religion as Jewish is 2,557.[24]

Islam

Islam is third largest religion in Ireland constituting 1.33% of the country's population.[25] There are 63,400[26] practising Muslims living in Ireland and approximately 50 mosques and prayer centres within the State.There is more than one mosque or prayer centre in each province.[25] Islam has a 60-year long and complex organisational history. Islamic new religious movements such as Fethullah Gulen are also represented in Ireland.

Buddhism

The population of Buddhists in Ireland is 9,358 (0.2%). Irish Buddhists such as U Dhammaloka are recorded from the late nineteenth century on, with numbers growing particularly in the 21st century. Beyond formal membership in Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana and Western Buddhist groups, there is increasing syncretism, with self-identified Christians and others using Buddhist meditation techniques, Buddha images, texts by figures such as the 14th Dalai Lama and so on. Reputed links between Buddhism and Celtic religion have long played a role in Irish literature. The first Irish Buddhist Union was formed in 2018, with representatives of five Buddhist schools coming together to form the body.

Hinduism

Hinduism is a minority faith in Ireland. The 2016 Irish Census reports 14,300 Hindus resident in Ireland ,constituting 0.3% of the population of Ireland.[6]

Neo-paganism

Various Neopagan movements are active in Ireland, especially Wicca, Neo-druidry and Celtic Polytheism. Ireland is also a significant point of reference for various kinds of Celtic and other neo-pagan spirituality and religious practice around the world, such as the Fellowship of Isis.

New Age religious movements

New Age religious movements are becoming increasingly significant in Ireland, often as a form of syncretism for members of established religions. Participation is strongly gendered, with a high proportion of women. A typical example is A course in miracles.

Demographics

Census Information

The percentage of respondents who said they followed a religion other than Catholicism in the census in Ireland in 2011.

The percentage of respondents who said they had no religion in the census in Ireland in 2011.

Between 2006 and 2011, Catholics decreased as a percentage of the population, but still showed a robust increase in absolute numbers due both to an excess of births over deaths as well as immigration from countries such as Poland. Most recently, Protestantism, including the Church of Ireland, has experienced a slight decrease in percentage, despite having earlier experienced some recovery. Those declaring no religion, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Islam showed significant increases.

Religion stated in Irish censuses, 1861–2016; number and percentage of total population return[27]
Answer(s)[nb 1]	1861[nb 2]	1911[nb 2]	1926	1971	2002	2011	2016

Christian	4,390,893 (99.75)	3,125,558 (99.55)	2,959,293 (99.57)	2,917,097 (97.95)	3,659,281 (93.42)	4,107,274 (90.76)	3,992,791 (85.14)
Catholic[nb 3]	3,933,575 (89.36)	2,812,509 (89.58)	2,751,269 (92.57)	2,795,666 (93.87)	3,462,606 (88.39)	3,831,187 (84.66)	3,729,115 (78.30)
Church of Ireland[nb 3] and other Anglican[nb 4]	372,723 (8.47)	249,535 (7.95)	164,215 (5.53)	97,739 (3.28)	115,611 (2.95)	124,445 (2.75)	126,414 (2.61)
Orthodox[nb 5] (Eastern and Oriental)					10,437 (0.27)	44,003 (0.97)	62,187 (1.32)
Christian (not further specified)					21,403 (0.55)	39,652 (0.88)	37,427 (0.77)
Presbyterian[nb 3]	66,172 (1.50)	45,486 (1.45)	32,429 (1.09)	16,052 (0.54)	20,582 (0.53)	22,835 (0.50)	24,211 (0.47)
Apostolic or Pentecostal					3,152 (0.08)	13,876 (0.31)	13,350 (0.28)
Evangelical					3,780 (0.10)	3,972 (0.09)	9,724 (0.20)
Jehovah's Witness					4,430 (0.11)	6,024 (0.13)	6,264 (0.13)
Methodist,[nb 6] Wesleyan	17,480 (0.40)	16,440 (0.52)	10,663 (0.36)	5,646 (0.19)	10,033 (0.26)	6,280 (0.14)	6,471 (0.12)
Lutheran				756 (0.03)	3,068 (0.08)	5,048 (0.11)	5,329 (0.10)
Protestant (not further specified)[nb 4]						4,263 (0.09)	5,409 (0.09)
Baptist	943 (0.02)	1,588 (0.05)	717 (0.02)	591 (0.02)	2,265 (0.06)	3,219 (0.07)	3,957 (0.08)
Born again Christian							2,565 (0.05)
Mormon					833 (0.02)	1,202 (0.03)	1,209 (0.03)
Seventh-day Adventist							1,178 (0.03)
Society of Friends	3,812 (0.08)	2,445 (0.07)		647 (0.02)	859 (0.02)	899 (0.02)	848 (0.02)
Unitarian							473 (0.01)
Church of Christ							378 (0.01)
Jacobite							296 (0.01)
Brethren					222 (0.01)	309 (0.01)	272 (0.01)
Kimbanguist							69
Congregationalist						60	68
Salvation Army							52
Unificationist						60	34
Other religions	341 (0.01)	3,805 (0.12)	3,686 (0.12)	2,633 (0.09)	29,526 (0.75)	71,003 (1.57)	95,746 (2.04)
Islam[nb 3]					19,147 (0.49)	48,130 (1.06)	62,032 (1.32)
Hindu					3,099 (0.08)	10,302 (0.23)	13,729 (0.29)
Buddhist					3,894 (0.10)	8,355 (0.18)	9,358 (0.20)
Spiritualist							2,922 (0.06)
Pagan, Pantheist					1,106 (0.03)	1,883 (0.04)	2,645 (0.06)
Jewish	341 (0.01)	3,805 (0.12)	3,686 (0.12)	2,633 (0.09)	1,790 (0.05)	1,675 (0.04)	2,557 (0.05)
Sikh							1,705 (0.04)
Baha'i					490 (0.01)	507 (0.01)	518 (0.01)
Taoist							171
Jain							134
Rastafari							114
Deist							97
Hare Krishna						91	87
Scientologist							87
Satanism							78
Shinto							55
Zoroastrian							35
Eckist							30
Theist							30
Irreligion				7,616 (0.26)	140,382 (3.58)	265,246 (5.86)	474,734 (10.12)
No religion[nb 3]				7,616 (0.26)	138,264 (3.53)	256,830 (5.68)	451,941 (9.64)
Lapsed (Roman) Catholic					590 (0.02)	1,268 (0.03)	8,094 (0.17)
Atheist					500 (0.01)	3,751 (0.08)	7,477 (0.16)
Agnostic					1,028 (0.03)	3,393 (0.07)	5,006 (0.11)
Jedi Knight							2,050 (0.04)
Pastafarian							92
Lapsed Church of Ireland						4	74
Unspecified	10,877 (0.25)	10,325 (0.33)	9,013 (0.30)	50,902 (1.71)	88,014 (2.25)	81,758 (1.81)	126,650 (2.70)
Not stated				46,648 (1.57)	79,094 (2.02)	68,668 (1.52)	119,349 (2.54)
Other / Other stated[nb 7]	10,877 (0.25)	10,325 (0.33)	9,013 (0.30)	4,254 (0.14)	8,920 (0.23)	13,090 (0.29)	7,301 (0.16)
Total population	4,402,111	3,139,688	2,971,992	2,978,248	3,917,203	4,525,281	4,689,921

Notes

Through to 1971, the religion question was answered in freeform text.[28] From 2002, common answers have been available as checkboxes.[29][22] These are noted in the table.
Pre-partition totals for the 26 counties that became the Irish Free State in 1922.
This answer was available as a checkbox on the 2002, 2011, and 2016 censuses.[29][22]
Through to 2002, answer "Protestant" was included under "Church of Ireland" (called "Protestant Episcopalian" before 1961)
This answer was available as a checkbox on the 2011 and 2016 censuses.[22]
This answer was available as a checkbox on the 2002 census.[29]
The "other" (before 1971) or "other stated" category is not directly comparable between censuses, because later ones enumerate some answers separately which were included within "other" in earlier ones.

Going by the recent 2016 figures,

84.6% of the Irish population are Christian
1.3% of the Irish population are Muslim
and 9.8% of the Irish population have no religion
Eurobarometer Polls

According to a 2010 Eurobarometer Poll,[30]

70% of Irish citizens answered that "they believe there is a God"
20% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force"
7% answered that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force"

According to a 2012 Eurobarometer Poll when people were shown a card listing options for religious identification:[31]

92% of Irish citizens answered that they are Christian (88% Catholic).
5% answered that they are non-believers or agnostic.
2% answered that they are atheists.
1% answered in some other way .

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