Protestantism in the Republic of Ireland

Concentration of Protestants on the island of Ireland by county. The Republic of Ireland covers all bar six northeastern counties.

Protestantism in the Republic of Ireland refers to Protestantism in the Republic of Ireland and its predecessor, the Irish Free State. In 2006, Protestants made up a little over 5% of the state's population.

Decline prior to the Irish Free State

The parts of Ireland where the number of Protestants were of higher proportion was closely related to the plantations that occurred throughout the 16th and 17th centuries and the areas where British influence was strongest.^[1] The decline in the number of Protestants in the south during the 20th-century is usually attributed to the Partition of Ireland in 1921 and the after-effects. It has been suggested however that the pattern of migration may have started in the second half of the nineteenth century.^[2] Important factors for this emigration were socio-economic factors, reinforced by political factors.^[2] Irish independence in 1921 however may have accelerated the process.^[3]

Research done on the decline of Protestantism in Dublin between 1870 and 1926 provides various reasons, including:

• Working class Protestants having a strong inclination to marry British soldiers, who upon the end of their tour of duty would then be posted to other parts of the British Isles.^[2]
• Between 1901 and 1911, 15% of Protestant males were in mixed-marriages.^[2] The 1901 census indicates that nearly 80% of mixed-marriages resulted in any children being brought up as Catholics, even before the Vatican issued Ne Temere in 1907,^[2] which meant that children in all mixed-marriages must be brought up as Catholics. In the following period from 1911 to 1926 it seems likely that due to an increase in contention between Protestants and Catholics, there was a decrease in mixed-marriages.^[2]
• The end of World War I saw the de-industrialisation of Dublin and migration of skilled Protestant workers seeking work.^[3]

Decline in the Irish Free State

After the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, the Protestant population declined sharply, reasons for which included:

• The end of the union between southern Ireland and Great Britain.^[4]
• The departure of British personnel, such as soldiers and public servants.^[2][4][5]
• According to the Church of Ireland Gazette: Protestants "have a wholly disproportionate number of old people compared with young, in comparison to Roman Catholics".^[2] They were also likely to marry later in life and have fewer children than their Catholic counterparts.^[2]
• The Church of Ireland Gazette also remarks on the "forced exodus of large numbers" during the period of the early 1920s known as the Troubles.^[2]
• The Catholic ethos of the Free State.^[5]
• Symbols of British influence were seen as an integral part of the Protestant tradition during the interwar period between World War I and II, however the Free State's intent on removing them was viewed by southern Protestants as sectarian.^[6]
• The introduction of a "Gaelicisation" policy.^[6][7] The compulsory teaching of the Irish language in schools saw some Protestant parents send their children to school in the United Kingdom.^[6] It also meant that Irish was compulsory for roles in the civil service,^[6][7] which resulted in "the continuing emigration of young Protestants in search of jobs", with the requirement seen as "disguised discrimination" by some.^[6]
• The influence of the Catholic Church on government policy, such as: the banning of divorce and contraception; censorship of films and books; and in the education system.^[7] This reached its peak with the 1937 constitution giving the Catholic Church "special position" in the state.^[7]

The exact numbers of migration based upon religious affiliation before 1926 is complicated by various different reasons.^[4] However between the 1911 and 1926 census' it has been suggested that there was a migration of 106,456 people from minority-religions, with at least 60,000 Protestants not connected to the British administration in Ireland.^[4] During this period the number of Protestants in what became the Irish Free State dropped from 10% to 7%.^[1] This represented a drop of 32% in the Protestant population compared to the 2% drop in the Catholic population.^[1] This decrease is often linked to the removal of British forces from the Free State, however the rate of decline was quite similar between native and foreign born Protestants and the drop was five times greater than the total number of Protestants in the British forces in 1911.^[1]

Treatment of Protestants

Whilst the Irish Free State had few overt discriminatory religious policies against Protestants and prided itself on its treatment of religious minorities, this was more to do with assuring Protestants in Northern Ireland that they would receive equal treatment and religious liberty in a united Ireland.^[3]

Instead southern Protestants were "penalised and ill-treated" for being a cultural minority.^[3] Nationalism, which was in essence Catholic and Gaelic, took on a triumphalist tone in the state.^[5][8][9] Social policy during the 1922-1932 government administration was largely based on Catholic beliefs, and events such as the Eucharistic Congress of 1932, helped reinforce the exalted status the Catholic Church enjoyed.^[8] The zenith of this anti-British, Catholic and Gaelic ethos came about after the 1932 election,^[7] exemplify by the newly elected Taoiseach, Éamon de Valera, refusal to change or compromise on his views of a united Ireland that emphasised Gaelic and Catholic values.^[7]

Protestant children were treated fairly and at times given preferential treatment in the education system.^[5] However, during the 1930s despite the fact education in the Free State was under denominational control, Catholicism became more influential and pervasive in the Irish governments education policy,^[7] resulting in the Catholic Church having more control over the education system than any other country in the world.^[7]

One of the most infamous incidents of overt discrimination against Protestants was the Dunbar-Harrison case in 1930.^[8] In this instance a Protestant, Letitia Dunbar-Harrison, applied to become a librarian.^[8] The Mayo Library Committee, mostly composed of prominent local Catholics including a bishop, originally said that she had inadequate knowledge of Irish for the role.^[8] Later during the debate it was remarked "could a Protestant be trusted to hand out books to Catholics?".^[8] The fall-out resulted in Dunbar-Harrison's appointment and the dissolution of Mayo County Council, however there was strong opposition from some prominent Catholic clerics and politicians.^[8] Despite the government standing its ground on the appointment, a boycott of the library resulted in W. T. Cosgrave, President of the Executive Council, and Catholic Archbishop of Tuam, Dr. Thomas Gilmartin, coming to an agreement to transfer Dunbar-Harrison from Mayo library to a post in Dublin in January 1932.^[8]

Another incident of overt discrimination against Protestants was the Fethard-on-Sea boycott in County Wexford, 1957.^[10] In this instance a local Protestant woman who had married a Catholic fled to Belfast after failing to honour her promise to educate her children as Catholics.^[10] This resulted in Catholics backed by a number of Catholic priests and bishops boycotting Protestant businesses in the area despite condemnation from the Irish government.^[10]

There was a more sinister form of discrimination during the Irish War of Independence (1919–21) and the subsequent Irish Civil War (1922–23), especially in the Bandon district of western County Cork, where Protestants accounted for one in every six people.^[9] Here the Irish Republican Army shot 122 Protestants claiming them to be spies.^[9] Another claim to justify their actions was that southern Protestants had remained quiet on the issue of the pogroms on Catholics in Northern Ireland, despite the fact they did frequently condemn them.^[9] The most notorious incident was the Dunmanway killings, which saw ten Protestants, aged from 16 to 82, murdered, including a member of the clergy.^[9] One historian states that they "did not seek merely to punish Protestants but to drive them out".^[9]

Impact

Between 1922-1923, emigration consisted of not just families, but also young individuals.^[2] In the period between 1926–1936, a greater proportion of young Protestants between the ages of 10–24 years old appear to have emigrated from the Free State compared to older Protestants.^[6] The decrease in the number of Protestants resulted in an even greater proportion of Catholics and thus the culture associated with it, furthering Protestant marginalisation and giving the perception of Catholic triumphalism.^[5] The coverage of the 1936 census results by The Irish News in 1939 was later reprinted by the Ulster Unionist Council as vindication for their belief of what would happen to Irish Protestants as a whole in a united Home Rule Ireland.^[2]

Areas where the Protestant minority was strongest tended to see the least decline, primary examples being the three Ulster counties that became part of the Free State: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan.^[1] Meanwhile, urban centers and military towns saw the greatest decrease.^[1] This helped contribute to a greater concentration of Protestants in Northern Ireland.^[1]

This emigration affected the Free State economy as Protestants formed a significant part of its commercial and cultural activities.^[2]

Modern reversal in decline

From 1921 to 1991 there was a decrease in the Protestant population in the Irish Free State and then the Republic of Ireland, however by the 2002, there has been an increase in the three main Protestant denominations: Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, and Methodism.^[11]

The number of Protestants belonging to the Church of Ireland in the Republic in 1991 stood at 89,197.^[11] By 2006, this number was 121,229, and by 2011 129,039.^[11][12] It was during the 2002-2006 period that the number of members of the Church of Ireland and Presbyterian Church surpassed their 1946 totals.^[11] County Clare has the smallest population of Protestants in Ireland however its county town, Ennis, saw a six-fold increase in the Church of Ireland population - 68 to 400.^[13] The Presbyterian church between 1991 and 2002 saw an increase of almost 56%, followed by an increase of almost 20% between 2002 and 2011. The Methodist Church saw its membership increase nearly 100% between 1991 and 2002, though by 2011 it had declined by 31%.^[11][12]

The cause of this growth is stated as being a mixture of Protestant immigration and the conversion of Catholics.^[13] One notable convert was the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Dr. Dermot Dunne, who was formerly a Catholic cleric.^[13] It has been suggested that Catholic Ireland has become more Protestant in social terms, whilst Protestantism itself has become more Catholic in some of its practices.^[13]

Despite this, Protestantism since 2002 has been relegated to the third largest religious belief, having been overtaken by those who choose "No Religion".^[12][14] Overall Protestants accounted for 4% of the total Irish population in 2006 and 2011.^[12]

In regards to immigration, of the 137,048 people from the three main Protestant denominations (Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Methodist) to declare their country of birth, only 94,889 (69.2%) stated the Republic.^[11] 27,928 of these immigrants came from the United Kingdom, whilst 3,575 where born in the rest of Europe, 6,641 from Africa, 1,341 from Asia, 1,730 from America, and 944 from elsewhere.^[11]

Tables

Number of Protestants by denomination

The following table shows the figures for the main Protestant denominations in what is now the Republic of Ireland from 1901 to 2011:^{[11][12][15][16]}

In comparison, the number of Catholics increased from 3,681,446 to 3,861,335.^[12] People who stated they had no religion increased from 186,318 to 269,811.^[12]

Percentage change between censuses

The following table shows the percentage change between each census for the three main Protestant denominations in what is now the Republic of Ireland from 1901 to 2011:^[11]

Annual average percentage change

The following table shows the annual percentage change for the three main Protestant denominations in what is now the Republic of Ireland from 1901 to 2011:^[11]

See also

• Church of Ireland
• Presbyterian Church in Ireland
• Protestantism in Ireland
• Protestantism in Ulster
• Religion in Northern Ireland
• Religion in the Republic of Ireland

Bibliography

• Connolly, S.J; Oxford Companion to Irish History. Oxford University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-19-923483-7.
• Cosgrove, Art; A New History of Ireland, Volume II: Medieval Ireland 1169-1534. Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-19-953970-3.
• Delaney, Enda; Demography, State and Society: Irish Migration to Britain, 1921-1971. Liverpool University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-85323-745-X.

References