Berkley Center

When one thinks of Ireland, one almost always also thinks of Catholicism. Religion is such a central theme and element in Irish history, culture, and politics. Each of my three different Irish history, politics, and culture classes all involve discussions of the tension between Catholicism and Protestantism. They could not function without such a discussion as this tension between the two religions is so intertwined with the history, politics, and culture of Ireland. Yet, I have been surprised that in the present, religion does not appear to be a central part of society.

Churches line the streets of Galway and are all around the Irish countryside, some ruins of old churches and many more still functioning. Catholicism is very much part of Irish culture—its history and its identity. In one of my lectures, the professor said that for many people “Irishness” implied Catholicism. But in the daily life of the city, religion does not seem to play a large role. My experience may be biased since Galway is a city—and as in many countries, religious importance seems to decrease in cities—and for the first time in my entire life, I am not attending a Catholic school. I had assumed that Catholicism and its past tension with Protestantism on the island would be a more central element of society. I was intrigued by the perceived lack of religion in daily life, so I tried to gather more information. I skimmed several Irish newspapers to try to get a sense of the national attitude but found little mention of religion. I was expecting some mention especially since most major newspapers in the United States have some section on faith. I also tried to discuss religion with my fellow Irish students; one student said that Ireland is not that religious, not anymore at least, and he believed that the United States was more religious than Ireland. I took these observations with a grain of salt and tried not to jump to premature conclusions.

Reflecting on the theme of religion in Ireland, I thought back to my first visit to the country in 2007. My grandfather was born and raised there, so my family took the obligatory trip to visit relatives and to see the country. I will admit that I was not really paying close attention to the role of religion in society. In fact, the only thing that I remember thinking was how different—short, and simplistic—the Catholic Mass was. The prayers and ritual were the same, but without music, and the Mass was over in thirty minutes. Such differences did not seem extremely important at the time, but as I continue to study in Galway I am wondering whether these differences are more important than I first assumed. In fact, these differences may help to explain my perception about the role of Catholicism in daily society.

The short and simple nature of the Mass may be an analogy for the role of Catholicism in Ireland today. Catholicism is present and important in Ireland, but it does not dominate society as some may assume. It's a quiet, reserved, and personal faith in Ireland. One Sunday, the priest's homily focused on leaving behind the past, on forgiving and coming to terms with the past. He made no direct mention of Ireland or the Catholic Church's past difficulties, but his words struck me as a quiet and indirect reference to the troubles of the past that had long plagued Ireland. The past conflicts between Catholicism and Protestantism that sparked violence, civil war, and political struggle was not forgotten, but the past no longer dominates the present or the future. Perhaps this explanation is too simplistic and may ignore many other factors at play in Irish society, but from limited time in Ireland this is the explanation I have developed.