Religions in Ireland

The first religion to come to Ireland was the Celtic religion. According to an article
written by Myles Dillon, the Celtics were an ancient group of Indo-European people who
extended their practices across the length of Europe from Britain to the Asia Minor during
the 4th century BC (Dillon & Mac Cena). The Celtic religion dominated the country until the
fourth or fifth century when Irish warriors began raiding Roman Britain and taking
Christians back to Ireland to work as slaves (Thompson). As time passed, the Christian
population began to rise in Ireland. Eventually, Saint Patrick was sent to Armagh in
Northern Ireland to preform missionary work. He focused most of his work in the northeast
part of Ireland were he opened his first church at Saul. Saint Patrick went to the homes of
Kings and preached Christianity to them. He famously used the three-leaved shamrock to
explain to his followers the concept of the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. The rise of Christianity in Ireland almost completely wiped out the Celtic faith. A few
centuries later, the Irish were introduced to a new religion: Protestantism. This relgion was
introduced in 1534 when Europeans began to leave the country due to the face that King
Henry declared the Act of Supremacy. The new settlers primarily settled in the Northern
regions on Ireland (www.wesleyjohnston.com).
In Ireland, there are many traditions that are based around religion, primarily
Christianity. It is very common for Christians in Ireland to attend mass either daily or
weekly. Due to their religious natures, it is extremely normal for extended families to be
very close, regardless of the distance that may separate them. In America, we celebrate St.
Patricks Day by wearing green, listening to Irish music and if you are of age, by drinking
way too much of that green beer. In Ireland, their typical traditions are very different. While
there are parades and lots of drinking beer, this all comes after a very serious tradition that
most, if not all Christians in Ireland practice. St. Patricks Day is a Holy Day of Obligation,
which in turn means that all Christians have to go to church. Instead of wearing green, the
Irish wear a shamrock pin on their shirts to symbolize both their Irish pride and the
Christian pride. When they go to church, the priest blesses their pin before they leave.
Another popular faith-based tradition is the pilgrimage of Croagh Patrick. This tradition
once again celebrates the life and accomplishments of the patron saint of Ireland. This
tradition occurs on the last Sunday in July and involves people hiking a mountain in county
Mayo in Saint Patricks honor (www.yourirish.com).
Since Catholicism did not originate in Ireland, there are many places all over the
world that can be considered sacred places. The ones that stuck out to me the most we the
Holy Land, the Marian Shrines, and an assortment of Chapels and Cathedrals all over the
world. The Holy Land, or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre can be found in Jerusalem and
marks the place of Jesus crucifixion and burial. The Marian Shrines, located in Lourdes,
France, is a shrine devoted to the Virgin Mary and Mother of God. Many people travel to this
site to worship. There are handfuls of famous Chapels and Cathedrals, including St. Patricks
Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland (Crawford). Although Catholicism did not originate in Ireland,
there are still some sacred places throughout the country. The opening line to the Irish
Constitution reads: In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity, from whom is all authority and to
whom, as out final end, all actions both of men and States must be referred
(www.dochara.com). Although no religion is directly mentioned, several references to
Christianity are made in this first line and several other times throughout the Irish
Constitution. Another instance of religions influence of government is the War for
Independence in 1919 when the IRA went to war with Northern Ireland. This war is widely
believed to have been a rival war between the Roman Catholics and the Protesants.
Journalist Robert Nielsen said in one of his blog posts: Religion has hugely affected Irish
history. It has caused war, violence and the deaths of thousands. It has been a source of
hatred and the prime divider of Irish society (2012).
Tensions between religions in modern-day Ireland have definitely gone down.
Unlike in Irelands early years, the different religions have learned to coincide and live
peacefully amongst one another. Although the country is still primarily Catholic, it does
have a slew of other religions living amongst those Catholics. Some people think that if you
are from Ireland, you must be Catholic but that is actually not true at all. While Ireland
might not be as diverse as countries like the United States, it is not condemned to one
religion.
 References

Crawford, B. (n.d.). Classroom. Sacred Places to the Catholics. Retrieved October 17, 2017,
from 1. http://classroom.synonym.com/sacred-places-to-the-catholics-
12084981.html
Dillon, M., & Mac Cana, P. (n.d.). Britannica. Celtic Religion. Retrieved October 17, 2017, from
1. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Celtic-religion
Nielsen , R. (2012, May 23). Whistling In The Wind. Religion As A Cause Of War In Ireland.
Retrieved October 17, 2017, from
https://whistlinginthewind.org/2012/05/23/religion-as-a-cause-of-war-in-
ireland/
(2017, April 6). DoChara. Fast Facts about Religion in Ireland. Retrieved October 17, 2017,
from https://www.dochara.com/the-irish/facts/about-religion/
(n.d.). Yourirish.com. Traditions. Retrieved October 17, 2017, from
https://www.yourirish.com/traditions/