Just under 84% of the population of Ireland said they are Roman Catholic on the 2011

census. (Katherine 2014). So, with that information, it is safe to say that Catholicism is the major
religion in the country. Catholicism branched off from Christianity. This religion was formed
over 2000 years ago in Palestine by Jesus Christ. (United Religions Initiative 2002). The
Catholic church was created in 33 AD when they branched off from the Roman Christian
Church.
Ireland is seen as a Catholic Country. While they do have a large percentage of the
population that does identify as being Catholic, the country is not based off this religion. There a
a good portion of of population who dont even believe in God. Being Catholic, or Protestant, in
Ireland is as much a cultural as a religious statement its often a statement about a heritage
rather than a belief (Katherine 2014). Being Catholic in Ireland seems to be expected of people.
I personally feel as if the stereotype of the Irish Catholic leads people to say they are Catholic
when they might not truly believe in what that religion is teaching. They are doing this more to
keep the tradition of Irish Catholics alive.
Catholicism has many sacred places placed throughout the world. One of those being the
Holy Land in Jerusalem. Tourists and religious travelers flock to the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre in Jerusalem to see the site of both the crucifixion and the burial of Jesus (Crawford
2016). Another sacred place would be Marian Shrines. There are two of these locations where
someone said Mary came to them in an apparition and asked them to do something. In Lourdes,
France, a little girl was asked to dig a grotto and found a spring filled with water that is said to
have healing properties. The second location is in Guadelupe, Mexico. There a man built a
chapel where people can worship her. The most popular sight is the chapel built in Fatima,
Portugal by three small children so people could come worship the rosary. (Crawford 2016).

Ireland is often times confused as being a Catholic Country because of the large
percentage of Catholics in the country. While Catholics are, by a mile, the largest religious
grouping in Ireland, there is no reference at all in the Irish Constitution to Catholicism
(Katherine 2014). There is no relation to the religion of the country to how the country is
governed. They are run this way to allow the freedom of other religions to be present in the
country. Ireland is one of the most religiously free countries in the world. (Katherine 2012).
I personally feel that the high amount of Catholics in the country is not an accurate
percentage. I feel that many people classify themselves as Catholic to keep up with tradition, but
they dont truly believe in it. It is interesting to note that while 90% of people stated that they
were Catholic in the 2006 census, a Europoll conducted several months earlier found that just
72% of people believe there is a God. Which appears to suggest there are a good many Catholics
in Ireland who dont believe in God (Kathernie 2014). I cannot say for certain how many people
in Ireland who said they were Catholic but do not believe in it, but I think their might be a high
amount.

References
(2002). Christianity - URI Kids :: World Religions. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2016, from
http://uri.org/kids/world_chri_basi.htm
Crawford, B. (2016). Sacred Places to the Catholics | Our Everyday Life. Retrieved October 21,
2016, from http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/sacred-places-catholics-2095.html
Katherine. (2014). Fast Facts about Religion in Ireland - Dochara. Retrieved October 21, 2016,
from http://www.dochara.com/the-irish/facts/about-religion/