Religion in Ireland

Relgion is quite prominent in Ireland...According to a Georgetown University study, the country also has one of the highest rates of regular and weekly Mass attendance in the Western World. I have been witnessing aspects of religion daily since having been in Ireland. For example... I took one of those double decker red bus tours in Dublin and while stopped at a light, an ambulance put on its sirens and two people on the street did the actions to 'The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit' (This was an ITC...wasn't quick enough with the camera) (This is something you don't see too often in Canada). One of my best friends in Canada does this action when driving by a cemetery, so I have witnessed that one. But, the older generation of people in Ireland actually do it when driving by churches! This morning I was on a bus on the way to city centre and watched a lady do it over 6 or 7 times as we passed churches on the bus route. I was interested to see whether she would do it as we passed by a Mosque, which was previously a church and converted in 1983....but no holy actions! Interesting!!!
.

Ireland, the proverb goes, is the "Land of Saints and Scholars." In the sixth through the ninth when Irish monks and scholars almost single handedly preserved the scholarly traditions of the fallen Roman Empire Irish abbots founded renowned centres of learning throughout Europe, and kings like Charlemagne sought out Irish scholars to crown the glories of their courts.

Ireland is a country where religion and religious practice have always been held in high esteem. Although the majority of Irish people are Roman Catholics, many other religions are respected and represented. There are Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist Churches, as well as Eastern Orthodox and Salvation Army communities. Several American gospel groups are represented as well as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons. In addition to the Christian denominations there are centres for Buddhists, Hindus, Bahais and for people of the Islamic and Jewish faiths.
This was really neat...also while in the bus we passed by a school called Griffith Barracks which explicitly states it is a Multi-Denominational School:

http://www.griffithbarracks.ie/

Our Mission Statement

We at Griffith Barracks Multi-Denominational School celebrate and embrace difference and work towards creating a learning atmosphere that is all-inclusive and non-discriminatory.

Teachers and Parents will work together to maintain a friendly family-style atmosphere while encouraging the children to do their best in a variety of ways. We believe that all children have much to contribute and we will try to provide each child with the opportunity to discover and develop his/her talents.

We recognise the importance of local action within the global environmental context and work to improve our local environment.

Overview

As with all Educate Together schools, the school is founded on four core principles:

• It is Multi-Denominational, i.e. open to all children of all or no religions, and the social, cultural and religious background of each class is to be equally respected.
• It is Co-Educational, i.e. the school is open to boys and girls on an equal basis ensuring that they are actively integrated, and sexual stereotyping is avoided, both in attitude and teaching materials.
• It is Child-Centred, i.e. the school aims to be a place where a child's quest for growth, self-development and knowledge is fully acknowledged, facilitated and encouraged.
• It is Democratically Run i.e. it is run by management committees, which are democratically elected and run, and the involvement of all parents is sought and encouraged.