Protestantism In The Republic Of Ireland

Protestantism in the Republic of Ireland ( ga, Protastúnachas i bPoblacht na hÉireann) refers to Protestantism in the Republic of Ireland and its predecessor, the Irish Free State. Protestants who are born in the Republic of Ireland are Irish. Protestants who are born in Northern Ireland are British and / or Irish depending on their political identity and whether they choose to exercise their right to claim Irish citizenship on the same basis as anywhere else on the island of Ireland (while there is a strong correlation between nationalism and nominal religion, with Protestants more likely to be pro-Union with the UK, this should not be overstated). In 2006, Protestants made up 4.2% of the Republic of Ireland's population versus 10% in 1911. Their population experienced a long period of decline over the 19th and 20th centuries, but slight growth in the 21st century.

Decline before the Irish Free State

The parts of Ireland where the number of Protestants were of higher proportion was closely related to the plantations that occurred throughout the 16th and 17th centuries and the areas where British influence was strongest. The decline in the number of Protestants in the south during the 20th-century is usually attributed to the Partition of Ireland in 1921 and the after-effects. It has been suggested however that the pattern of migration may have started in the second half of the nineteenth century. Important factors for this emigration were socio-economic factors, reinforced by political factors. Irish independence in 1921 however may have accelerated the process.

Research done on the decline of Protestantism in Dublin between 1870 and 1926 provides various reasons, including:

• Working-class Protestant women having a strong inclination to marry British soldiers, who upon the end of their tour of duty would then be posted to other parts of the British Isles.

• Between 1901 and 1911, 15% of Protestant males were in mixed-marriages. The 1901 census indicates that nearly 80% of mixed-marriages resulted in any children being brought up as Catholics, even before the Vatican issued ''Ne Temere'' in 1907, which meant that children in all mixed-marriages must be brought up as Catholics. In the following period from 1911 to 1926 it seems likely that due to an increase in contention between Protestants and Catholics, there was a decrease in mixed-marriages.

• The end of World War I saw the de-industrialisation of Dublin and migration of skilled Protestant workers seeking work. World War I battle deaths also hit the Protestant population hard, which further spurred a migration of young Irish Protestant women to Britain to seek husbands.

In the book ''Buried Lives'', based largely on records held by the Church of Ireland, Robin Bury has argued that there were cases of violence against Protestants during the Civil War. He estimates that 100-200 Protestants were victims of sectarian killings, with the biggest case being the 1922 Dunmanway killings.

Decline after creation of the Irish Free State

After the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, the Protestant population declined sharply, reasons for which included:

• The end of the union between Ireland and Great Britain.

• Purchase of land owned by British landowners by the British government and later the Irish Free State government. By 1920 the British government had purchased 13 million acres (53,000 km²) of Irish land and sold farms to the Irish tenants at low payments spread over seven decades. Starting in 1923 the Irish government bought out most of the remaining British landowners, and they and their families departed Ireland.The Transformation of Ireland: Diarmaid Ferrier

• The departure of British personnel, such as soldiers and public servants. especially from the British civil service

* ''Ne Temere'' decree requiring the children of mixed religious marriages be raised Catholic.

• According to the ''Church of Ireland Gazette'': Protestants "have a wholly disproportionate number of old people compared with young, in comparison to Roman Catholics". They were also likely to marry later in life and have fewer children than their Catholic counterparts. The ''Church of Ireland Gazette'' also remarks on the "forced exodus of large numbers".

• The Catholic ethos of the Free State.

• Symbols of British influence were seen as an integral part of the Protestant tradition during the interwar period between World War I and II, however the Free State's intent on removing them was viewed by southern Protestants as sectarian.

• The introduction of a "Gaelicisation" policy. The compulsory teaching of the Irish language in schools saw some Protestant parents send their children to school in the United Kingdom. It also meant that Irish was compulsory for roles in the civil service, which resulted in "the continuing emigration of young Protestants in search of jobs", with the requirement seen as "disguised discrimination" by some. However, there were other Protestants who were happy to embrace the Irish language, such as Douglas Hyde who was made the first President of Ireland partly because of his efforts to revive the Irish language.

• The influence of the Catholic Church on government policy, such as: the banning of divorce and contraception; censorship of films and books; and in the education system. This reached its peak with the 1937 constitution giving the Catholic Church "special position" in the state.

The exact numbers of migration based upon religious affiliation before 1926 is complicated by various different reasons. However between the 1911 and 1926 census' it has been suggested that there was a migration of 106,456 people from minority-religions, with at least 60,000 Protestants not connected to the British administration in Ireland. During this period the number of Protestants in what became the Irish Free State dropped from 10% to 7%. This represented a drop of 32% in the Protestant population compared to the 2% drop in the Catholic population. This decrease is often linked to the removal of British forces from the Free State, however the rate of decline was quite similar between native and foreign born Protestants and the drop was five times greater than the total number of Protestants in the British forces in 1911.

Treatment of Protestants

The Irish Free State had few overt discriminatory religious policies against Protestants and prided itself on its treatment of religious minorities. Delaney argues that this was motivated by the desire to assure Protestants in Northern Ireland that they would receive equal treatment and religious liberty in a future united Ireland.

However, Delaney writes that southern Protestants were "penalised and ill-treated" for being a cultural minority. Nationalism, which was in essence Catholic and Gaelic, took on a triumphalist tone in the state. Social policy during the 1922-1932 government administration was largely based on Catholic beliefs, and events such as the Eucharistic Congress of 1932 helped reinforce the exalted status the Catholic Church enjoyed. The zenith of this anti-British, Catholic and Gaelic ethos came about after the 1932 election, exemplified by the newly elected Taoiseach, Éamon de Valera, who refused to change or compromise on his views of a united Ireland that emphasised Gaelic and Catholic values.

Cosgrove writes that Protestant children were treated fairly and at times given preferential treatment in the education system. However, during the 1930s despite the fact that education in the Free State was under denominational control, Catholicism became more influential and pervasive in the Irish governments education policy, resulting in the Catholic Church having more control over the education system than any other country in the world.

One of the most famous incidents of overt discrimination against Protestants was the Dunbar-Harrison case in 1930. In this instance a Protestant, Letitia Dunbar-Harrison

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