Religion in the Republic of Ireland

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.

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.[10] 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.

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.

• Protestantism in Ireland
• Presbyterian Church in Ireland
• Methodist Church in Ireland
• Eastern Orthodoxy in the Republic of Ireland
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ireland

Irish travellers have traditionally adopted a very particular attitude to the Catholic Church, with a focus on figures such as "healing priests".[11] More generally a tradition of visions continues, often outside of Church sanction.[12]

Evangelical movements have recently spread both within the established churches and outside them.[13] Celtic Christianity has become increasingly popular, again both within and outside established churches.[14]

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.

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.[26]

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.[27]

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.[28]

These percentages decreased again, however, from 2012 to 2016, resulting in the pie chart seen below.[29]

The earliest recorded presence of Jews in Ireland was in 1062 in the Annals of Inisfallen.[30] As of 2016, the Jewish population is 2,557.[31]

Islam is third largest religion in Ireland constituting 1.33% of the country's population.[32] There are 63,400[33] 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.[32] Islam has a 60-year long and complex organisational history.[34] Islamic new religious movements such as Fethullah Gulen are also represented in Ireland.[35]

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.[36] Reputed links between Buddhism and Celtic religion have long played a role in Irish literature.[37] The first Irish Buddhist Union was formed in 2018, with representatives of five Buddhist schools coming together to form the body.

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.[9]

Various Neopagan movements are active in Ireland, especially Wicca, Neo-druidry and Celtic Polytheism.[38] Ireland is also a significant point of reference for various kinds of Celtic [39] and other neo-pagan spirituality and religious practice around the world, such as the Fellowship of Isis.[40]

New Age religious movements are becoming increasingly significant in Ireland,[41] often as a form of syncretism for members of established religions. Participation is strongly gendered, with a high proportion of women.[42] A typical example is A course in miracles.[43]

• Religion in Northern Ireland
• Christianity in Ireland
• Catholic Church in Ireland
• Protestantism in Ireland
• Protestant decline in Ireland (19th-20th centuries)
• Irish Catholics
• Religion in the United Kingdom