Catholics outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland for first time

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Catholics outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland for first time

Demographic shift shown in census was expected but will still deliver psychological blow to unionists

Rory Carroll Ireland correspondent
@rorycarroll72
Thu 22 Sep 2022 09.48 BST

Catholics outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland for the first time, a demographic milestone for a state that was designed a century ago to have a permanent Protestant majority.

Results from the 2021 census released on Thursday showed that 45.7% of inhabitants are Catholic or from a Catholic background compared with 43.48% from Protestant or other Christian backgrounds. The 2011 census figures were 45% Catholic and 48% Protestant. Neither bloc is a majority.

The demographic tilt was expected but will still deliver a psychological hit to unionists, who for decades relied on a supposedly impregnable Protestant majority to safeguard Northern Ireland’s position in the UK.

Diarmaid Ferriter, a historian and author, said: “It’s been long coming. They have already witnessed the loss of their political supremacy. Seeing the loss of their numerical supremacy is another blow.”

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/22/catholics-outnumber-protestants-northern-ireland-census

[msfiddlestix]

1. Mixed feelings about this news.

twenty, thirty, or more years ago I would have cheered this on.

I believe in Home Rule, and the brutal history of English Rule was never lost on me.

These years however, my perspective and attitude of the Catholic Church has diminished greatly, as all Religions have.

Though I know it was historically the case of Religious warfare so to speak, I tended to think in terms of the colonization of English aggression and dominion rather than a Religious struggle.

Now I simply can't cheer Catholic rule anymore than I can cheer any other Religious Cult dominating any nation of people.

[3Hotdogs]

2. I don't think it is any longer about the right way to worship the invisible sky being.

I don't read evidence about non-Catholics in the south being persecuted or discriminated against. In fact, the influence of the R.C. church has diminished over the years.

It's not about religion. It was about religion being used to establish second class citizenship on a group of people who did not have the backing of the Crown.

I expect we will see No. Ireland separating from the Crown but having stronger relations with their neighbors with whom they share the island.

[msfiddlestix]

3. I like your perspective.

I had and heard among friends in my Irish Music circles, the Church's dominion over it's flock is weakening based on broken ties with the Church's edicts etc, and wondered for a moment if that was greatly eggerated while reading this article.

Wonder then, what factors may have contributed to the change in demographics?