I have heard that he was very earnest and open about stating his belief in Jesus as his Lord and Savior. I hope that was even close to being true.
I do as well.
1 John 4:15 says:
"Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God."
The Irish still don’t consider themselves to be British? After all this time. I know many Brits don’t even consider themselves to be “a part of Europe”, a fact most Americans find baffling. I believe they are largely surrounded by mountain ranges and bodies of water, thus the separation.