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Christianity (Irish: Críostaíocht) has been the largest religion in Ireland since the 5th century. After a pagan past of Antiquity, missionaries (most famously including Saint Patrick) converted the Irish tribes to Christianity in quick order. This produced a great number of saints in the Early Middle Ages, as well as a faith interwoven with Irish identity for centuries since − though less so in recent times.
Most Christian churches are organized on an "all-Ireland" basis, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In the 2022 census, 76.1% of residents in the Republic of Ireland identified as Christians: 69.1% as Catholics, 4.2% as Protestants, 2.1% as Orthodox Christians and 0.7% as other Christians.[1] In the 2021 Northern Irish census, 79.7% of residents identified as Christians: 42.3% as Catholics, 16.6% as Prebysterian, 11.5% as Church of Ireland members, 2.4% as Methodist and 6.9% as other Christians.[2] Orthodoxy has been the fastest growing branch of Christianity in Ireland since 1991.[3][4][5]
Ireland has for many centuries been noted for its perpetually strong Christian faith. However, in recent decades, a "Quiet Revolution" had taken place which lead to increased secularity in various aspects of Irish society.[6] The 1972 amendment of the Irish constitution, for example, removed the "special position" of the Catholic Church as "guardian of the Faith" and the recognition of other named religious denominations in Ireland.[7] However, in 1983 abortion was banned by the Eighth Amendment of the Irish constitution which recognized the right to life of the unborn as equal to the right to life of the mother and was advocated for by representatives of the Catholic Church.[8][9] Only in 2018 was a referendum held to repeal the Eighth Amendment, and this repeal marks a significant point in the secularization of the constitution made possible by a significant secularization of the people.[10][11] Today, a large proportion of Irish Christians are thought to be nominally so, for reasons ranging from cultural to apathetic. Catholicism has been declining in the Republic of Ireland.[12]
- ^ "Summary results from Census 2022 on migration and integration". European Migration Network. 1 June 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
nisra21was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Profile of the Orthodox Churches in Ireland". HSE.ie. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Christian Census of Population 2016 – Profile 8 Irish Travellers, Ethnicity and Religion". Central Statistics Office. 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
Orthodox Christians have been the fastest growing religion in Ireland since 1991.
- ^ "Irish Census (2022) | Measuring religious adherence in Ireland". Faith Survey. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
The fastest growing branch of Christianity is the Orthodox Church, whose adherents in Ireland grew from 62,187 in 2016 to 105,827 in 2022.
- ^ Serhan, Yasmeen (26 May 2018). "A 'Quiet Revolution' Comes to Ireland". The Atlantic. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Fifth Amendment of the Constitution Act, 1972". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Act, 1983". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ Walsh, Dick (6 April 1983). "Bishop defends Hierarchy on amendment". The Irish Times. p. 11.
- ^ Conneely, Ailbhe (18 September 2018). "Eighth Amendment repealed after bill signed into law". RTÉ. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution Act 2018". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ McGarry, Patsy (7 May 2021). "'A possible disaster': Catholic Church reckons with declining interest post-pandemic". The Irish Times. Retrieved 31 May 2023.