How many protestants in ireland

The map below shows the distribution of Protestants in Northern Ireland in Most of the population is concentrated in south county Antrim, Belfast, the Lagan valley and northern county Down. It is also in these areas that most Protestants are concentrated, explaining why almost a million of Northern Ireland's 1. County Tyrone is the least Protestant, at We can study the population level in much more detail by looking at the 26 Local Government Districts rather than counties.

We have included below some of the figures for selected districts: The full list of figures can be found in Appendix B. The map in the previous section, comparing the Protestant population in Ireland in and , can also be used to show approximate traits in Northern Ireland. It indicates that Protestants have been leaving counties Tyrone, Londonderry and Armagh.

However, the level in Antrim, Down and Fermanagh has remained much more constant. Fermanagh is unusual in that it is a relative stronghold of Protestantism surrounded by less Protestant areas. This is one reason why Fermanagh always returns a Unionist MP to Parliament despite being the most westerly county in Northern Ireland.

Also note that no county has actually gained a relative Protestant population, although the level in some of the Local Government Districts in north Down and south Antrim may have increased. Here we compare the proportion of Protestants in Northern Ireland counties in and The figures are official Census figures, whereas the figures are derived from district council Census figures and are thus not quite as accurate. However, the expectation is that they are not more than 1 point away from the true value.

The future of the demographics of Northern Ireland are the subject of ongoing debate,made more difficult by the fact that many people have political interests in the subject.

Around , indications strongly suggested that the Catholic population was rising at a higher rate than the Protestant population, and that the two would be equal within a few decades. This was attributed to the Catholic church's misgivings about contraceptives.

The Anglican dioceses cover all of Ireland. There are about Methodist congregations throughout Ireland. In the Church of Ireland and the Methodist Church in Ireland signed a covenant to share resources and encourage joint worship and chaplaincy. Log in. Remember Me. Forgot password? Email this document Printable version.

UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. All rights reserved. Search Refworld. Census reveals NI religious figures. Demographics are shifting in Northern Ireland. Census figures in showed a narrowing gap in the population. Figures among school-age children are more clear.

What's next? Dr Nolan warns not to rely too heavily on polls for an indication on support for a united Ireland. Menu Sections. Picture: Patrick Browne. Kim Bielenberg Twitter Email. There are still plenty of stereotypes about Protestants in Ireland. Many of them grew up being told that they were not Irish enough. T here is an assumption that they must be rich and live in big houses, and there is even a belief in certain quarters that southern Protestants pay homage to the Queen of England.

They are also said to be accomplished at home baking and jam-making, and skilled at growing daffodils and making meals from meagre leftovers. The priest says that in reality most of his parishioners have accents and jobs no different to those of their Catholic or non-religious neighbours. The backbone of the community in rural parishes is typically made up of small farmers, shopkeepers and people with a wide variety of backgrounds.

Dublin once had a strong working class Protestant tradition, but in popular culture Protestant invariably means posh. The latest census shows a slight drop in the number of people declaring themselves as Church of Ireland. Numbers have fallen by 2 per cent to , over the past five years, but leaders of the biggest Protestant denomination are hardly likely to panic.

The Church of Ireland has suffered calamitous falls in its population before. In the 26 counties in the late 19th century, there were , members of the church, but by the early s the population had fallen to 95, It then started to recover. Since the s there have been hundreds of closures of Protestant churches across the country. But a number of influences have helped to steady a ship that was in grave danger of sinking.

Get the best home, property and gardening stories straight to your inbox every Saturday. Enter email address This field is required Sign Up. An increase in the number of Protestant immigrants, particularly from Africa and India, has helped to re-energise some parishes, and there has also been an influx of worshippers who grew up as Catholics.