The end of Catholic Ireland?

In the historic sense, Ireland's long love affair with the Catholic church was, as Ella Fitzgerald once sang, "too hot not to cool down". Catholicism was once so all-pervading in Irish life that it seemed a definition of Irishness: but now, according to a survey by the pollsters Red C, the Irish are losing their faith quicker than most: seven years ago, 69% of Irish people described themselves as "religious": this has now fallen more than 20 points to 47%.

Something had to give, and even before the clerical scandals broke into the public realm – in the 1990s – this intermingling of faith and fatherland was in decline. There was the effect of the 1960s. There was the effect of the pill, which, contrary to legend, was legal in Ireland. There was television. There was modernisation, which the Vatican advanced as aggiornamento. Around the time of Vatican II – 1962-65 – it could be said that in the hills of Connemara they spoke of little else.

But there were a lot of concerned parents, too, writing to the devotional magazines saying that they were in despair because they just couldn't get their offspring to pray: the family rosary was gone: their son (it was usually their son) wouldn't go to mass, no matter how much they beseeched. Gradually, you could see traditional Irish Catholicism unravelling. The votive lights placed under the picture of the Sacred Heart were disappearing in country B&Bs. My aunt, who had once felt miserably guilty for absent-mindedly taking a cup of Bovril on a meatless Friday, could relax.

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http://twitter.com/ABUTOM ABUTOM

IN THE WORDS OF
RNR ROMNEY AND RYAN THE DYNAMIC DUO TWO UNEXPECTED VICTORIES IN 24 HOURS. MIKE SAVAGE FIRED GRAPESHOT INTO THE PARTY OF DEATH YESTERDAY. I HOPE EVERYBODY PICKS UP THE TORCH AND RUNS WITH IT. SAVAGE LABELED THE DEMMO COMMO PARTY AS A CULT. SAYING THERE IS NO OTHER EXPLANATION OF OBAMA WORSHIP. HE LIKENED IT TO THE MISLEAD FOLLOWERS OF PHONY GURUS WHO GET BRAINWASHED AND MILKED. OBAMA IS THE JIM JONES OF THE PARTY OF DEATH. THIS MORNING I TURNED ON THE COMMUNIST NEWS NETWORK CNN. THEY WERE HOLDING SERVICES AS IF THEY HAD JUST RECEIVED PRO CHOICE DEATH WARRANTS. WOLF BLITZER LOOKED LIKE HE WAS HAVING A PERPETUAL ENEMA. THE LOOK ON EVERYBODY'S FACES WAS DIRE.EVEN THE RAGING CAJUN LOOKED MORE LIKE A CAPON. I IMAGINE PAUL BEGALA IS BITING HIS TOES RIGHT NOW. THE CHOICE OF A YOUNG JFK LOOKING RYAN WAS A GREAT MOVE. I GIVE ROMNEY KUDOS FOR A SMART CHOICE. WE COULD GET 8 YEARS OF ROMNEY FOLLOWED BY 8 YEARS OF RYAN.THAT IS 16 YEARS UNDOING THE DAMAGE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY. MAYBE JOHN ROBERTS WONT FEEL INTIMIDATED BY AL QUEDA AND ERIC HOLDER. THIS CHOICE BY ROMNEY OPENS THE DOOR TO DEFECTIONS BY CATHOLICS ESPECIALLY IRISH CATHOLICS WHO TRADITIONALLY VOTE THE WAY THEIR FATHERS VOTED. NO MORE, IT IS AU REVOUR TIME. THE VALUES OF THE PARTY OF DEATH ARE NOT THE VALUES OF FENIAN BLOOD.OBAMA HAS ATTACKED THE CROSS AND THE CHILD. NO IRISHMAN WITH A FAINT MEMORY OF ANCESTOR PERSECUTION CAN LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND SAY I AM PROUD TO BE A DEMOCRAT. IT IS NO LONGER THE PARTY OF THE WORKING MAN. IT IS THE PARTY OF THE WELFARE SLAVE AND THE ILLEGAL. THE SYMBOL SHOULD BE A LADDER WITH BOTTOM BROKEN RUNGS. THEY DO NOT WANT YOU TO GET A LEG UP. YOU MUST BE THEIR PEON IN ORDER TO GET A PIECE OF CANDY OR LEGALIZED DRUGS WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. WHEN YOU GO TO THEIR COMMUNIST RUN SCHOOLS YOU WILL BE TAUGHT TO HATE YOUR GOD, YOUR FLAG AND YOUR COUNTRY.YOU WILL GET SEX ED BUT NO AMERICAN HISTORY. YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO PRACTICE SAFE SEX IN THE FIFTH GRADE HALLWAYS BUT NO GEOGRAPHY. FORGET ABOUT OUTER SPACE EXCEPT THE ONE LEFT BETWEEN YOUR EARS. YOU WILL LEARN TO BE A LOSER AND GET A BOOK FULL OF EXCUSES. THAT IS NOT THE LEGACY OF THE GREATEST GENERATION. THEIR LEGACY IS DO BETTER THAN WE DID. WE GAVE YOU ALL THE TOOLS. DON'T LET ANYONE KILL YOUR DREAMS. BUILD YOUR DREAMS. TAKE YOUR COUNTRY BACK. ONE NATION UNDER TIM TEBOW AND LOLO.SAY GOOD-BYE TO HOLLYWOODWE ARE GETTING OUR COUNTRY BACK.WWW.SPIRITOFAMERICAPARTYRADIOSHOW.COMWWW.MEDIACRAPMATTERS.USWE BE TALKING TONIGHT ON BLOG TALK RADIO.COMSPIRIT OF AMERICA PARTYDRUGS SUCK SAVE THE KIDS
THE MINSTREL BOY. THOUGH ALL THE WORLD BETRAY THEE. ONE FAITHFUL HARP SHALL PLAY THEE.
- Chris
  
  So now we are supposed to believe in TWO religious idiots who want a theocracy based on two different clown religions, who hate gays and women.
- Texasorbust
  
  Well said! But what's with the all caps?!!
Evermyrtle

Sex scandals in the Catholic were bound to sooner or later catch up with them.
Wesley

it is a shame that the nation that gave western Europe a rebirth of Christianity at the fall of Rome is now in the place where much of Europe is following the rest of Europe down in spiritual decline. in the 4th century St. Patrick brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Irish shores a place that had once enslaved him as a child helped to restore Christianity to the mainland of western Europe. maybe from the ashes of this spiritual confusion in Ireland the next Patrick will emerge to help bring a revival of the gospel to Ireland that will cross over into Britain and then to mainland Europe before the light of Christianity is extinguished by Muslim immigrants to Europe. Jesus said not even the Gates of Hell itself can prevail against his church.
Chris

"Spiritual decline"? Child rape, kidnapping and all the other garbage is good? The Roman Catholic church has destroyed Ireland by pushing overpopulation.
- Randy131
  
  Boy are you ever ignorant, the Irish have a labor problem, not enough people to fill their jobs.
http://www.sargee5.blogspot.com/ The Watchman

There are those who accuse Catholicism of being some kind of detriment to Ireland, and the world for that matter. I contend that without Christian influence in society, society will continue to it's path to perdition. Remember, it is the truth of God's words and sacrifice of Jesus Christ the gave humans our moral laws and guidelines. Without these Christian guidelines immorality will become the norm, the end result will be devastating to the human race. It is prophesied and it's coming to fruition. I would encourage Christians everywhere to hold fast to their principles and to God's promise. Jesus will return for those who know him, His bride, his church. Do not be deceived into denying the Savior.
Chris N

This is symptomatic of what is occuring to EVERY White country that introduces massive waves of 3rd World immigrants. The White populations become demoralised and give up hope as they see the governments give special benefits and preferential employment ( 'Diversity hiring policies'), and nowhere is an ALL White anything allowed to exist. Giving up on going to church is just one outflow of this situation.
They say it's 'anti-racism' but really it's just Anti-White
The attempt to destroy, in whole or in part, EVERY White country through 3rd World immigration and 'assimilation' is GENOCIDE.