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Although there is no official state church in
Ireland and the Irish Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion,
about 95% of the population is Roman Catholic. Roman Catholicism has
traditionally formed a strong bond among Irish people and continues
to be an important part of contemporary Irish identity. As a result
of years of British persecution, Irish Catholics became strong defenders
of their faith.
The Catholic Church operates most of the public
and secondary schools in Ireland and provides some health services. This
has allowed the Church to maintain considerable influence in social affairs.
Until recently, the government was reluctant to pass laws that would not be
sanctioned by the Church. However, although religion is still important to
the Irish, the political influence of the Church declined during the 1980s
and 1990s, partly because fewer people chose to become priests or nuns. |
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Three famous pilgrimage sites in Ireland attract
thousands of people every year. Pilgrims, some of them barefoot, climb a
mountain on the northwest coast called Croagh Patrick, the site where St.
Patrick is said to have prayed throughout the forty days of Lent in 441.
At Cnoc (Knock) Mhaire , also in the northwest, the Virgin
Mary is alleged to have appeared in 1879. The Holy Island in Lough Derg
was once the site of an important monastery and pilgrims gather near the
ruins to pray.
Other Christian denominations include the Church of
Ireland, the Methodists and the Presbyterians. The Church of Ireland is
a Protestant Episcopal Church, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion
of churches. Methodist and Presbyterian churches are also found in cities
and large towns. There is a small number of Jews in Ireland. |
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Did you know? |
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The Irish Catholic Church sends missionaries to every
continent. Currently there are more than 4,500 Irish missionaries working
in 85 countries in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Pacific
Islands.
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