letter from Dublin
Over 80,000 UK citizens live in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). With such close proximity to the UK, there are many similarities between our two countries. However, there are also many differences.
The differences are especially evident during the summer as primary-school children in the ROI enjoy a two month summer holiday, with secondary-school children having three months off!
The summer is also when the All-Ireland Gaelic football and hurling finals are played at Croke Park in Dublin. Both sports are played at schools and at Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) clubs across the country, with teams competing against other clubs and counties from across the island of Ireland.
Sport isn’t the only difference between the ROI and the UK though. Language and faith also differ. Street names are bilingual, children learn the Irish language the whole way through school and there is a dedicated Irish Language TV channel (TG4).
The majority of the population (69%) report their religion as Roman Catholic and although church attendance and adherence to the teaching of the Catholic Church continues to decline, the majority of children still take part in the Catholic sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation, with preparation for these taking place through state-funded Catholic Primary Schools. Many Protestant (predominantly Church of Ireland/Anglican schools) also exist, especially in Dublin, Wicklow and the counties that border Northern Ireland (Monaghan, Cavan and Donegal). As a minority faith in the ROI, Protestant children receive priority entry into these schools.
Immigration has brought a welcome boost to the church in the ROI but still the evangelical population is small (under 2%). This is the lowest percentage of any English-speaking country. With such a small community of evangelicals, there is great unity and few denominational divisions. Conferences are run jointly between evangelical churches of different denominations and I will cover these in future ‘Letters from Dublin’. Churches also work closely together to run youth groups and children’s camps.
As Irish children enjoy their lengthy summer breaks, we can be thankful that through many small evangelical churches working together, children and families can gather to hear God’s word and grow in their faith and love of Him.
