Population up, but fewer are Catholic

While Ireland is still one of Europe’s most religiously observant countries, a census suggests that now less than 90 percent of the population call themselves Roman Catholic.
For the first time since Irish independence from Britain more than 80 years ago, the numbers of the main Protestant denominations have grown.
In the past decade Ireland has seen not only an economic boom, but also significant population growth.
After long periods of decline in the 19th and 20th centuries, Ireland’s population is on the rise, and now stands at almost 4 million.
The latest figures come from a census carried out in 2002.
They show that Catholic still account for more than 88 percent of the population, but that is 3 percent lower than before.
As well as the growth of the main Protestant denominations, membership of minority religions has also grown, reflecting the arrival of immigrants from Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe over the past decade.
And the number of people declaring no religion more than doubled.
However, Ireland remains a country with strong religious ties when compared with some of its European neighbors, especially in its levels of church attendance and the area of education.