Catholics outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland for first time

The Guardian ^ | Thu 22 Sep 2022 | Rory Carroll

[JSM_Liberty]

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.

... Higher birth rates among Catholics gradually closed the gap, a closely watched metric since they tended to identify as Irish while Protestants tended to identify as British. But religious background and political identity no longer automatically transferred to voting patterns, Ferriter said. “So much is blurred now.”

In recent elections support for nationalist and unionist parties plateaued at around 40% for each side, leaving 20% of voters in the middle who are non-aligned and reject traditional sectarian labels. Opinion polls consistently show more people favour staying in the UK – citing taxes and the NHS, among other reasons – than uniting with Ireland.

However. the census, the first since Brexit, showed a loosening of British identity. Some 31.86% identified as British only, 29.13% identified as Irish only and 19.78% as Northern Irish only. In 2011 the figures were 40% British only, 25% Irish only and 21% Northern Irish only. ... The data on religious background – a stark contrast to the state’s foundation in 1921, when Britain cleaved six counties from the rest of Ireland to create an entity with a two-thirds Protestant majority – comes at a fraught time for unionism. A post-Brexit Irish Sea border has put trade barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. In May’s assembly election, Sinn Féin overtook the Democratic Unionist party as Northern Ireland’s largest party, ...

[DannyTN]

Den de protestants better git crackin’ an’ pop oyt more babies.

[deport]

$15,000 needed .. Receipts & Pledges to-date: $65,085
81%
WOO HOO!! We’re now over 81%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.

7 DAYS LEFT........

https://freerepublic.com/donate/

[alexander_busek]

Demographics are upstream from politics.

Regards,

[FatherofFive]

Unfortunately, most of the Catholics aren’t Catholic anymore

[Verginius Rufus]

I think some of the 6 counties always had a Catholic majority--the Protestants included as much of Ulster as they thought would always have an overall Protestant majority. They miscalculated. I think the two easternmost counties are the most heavily Protestant.

How strong actual religious belief is among people of Protestant or Catholic ancestry is another question and I don't know what the current situation is in Northern Ireland.

Historic Ulster had 9 counties but 3 are in the Republic of Ireland.

[ElkGroveDan]

while Protestants tended to identify as British

Then go there.

[Renfrew]

The religion doesn’t mean much itself. It’s mostly now just a symbol for if someone identifies as Irish or British.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I’ve heard that eventually, Northern Ireland could be merged into the Republic of Ireland.

I’m not familiar enough with the history of why Northern Ireland was part of the UK. But, I thought the religious issue was a key issue, as the Republic of Ireland is largely Catholic, while Northern Ireland was mostly Protestant.

[JSM_Liberty]

All of Ireland used to be part of the UK (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland). In the 1920s most of Ireland gained it’s independence but Unionists (mostly Protestant) wanted to remain part of the UK. They were a minority in most of Ireland but a majority in the northeastern part of Ireland so 6 of the 32 counties remained part of the UK (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Ireland

[dfwgator]

[Dilbert San Diego]

Thanks for the information.

[dfwgator]

IRA were mostly atheist commies.

[Nextrush]

They probably had their hands below the waists too much among other things.

[ncalburt]

British intentionally trying to colonizing Ireland and overwhelm the local Catholic population just like in
USSR that shipped Russians to numerous Eastern block countries like Ukraine, Estinia , and Lithuania ........

The outcome is Very ironic .
London is booming so why live in cold rainy sunless Belfast .

[nickcarraway]

It’s still a colony.

[Salman]

Natural selection of course?

Will they vote to join Eire, or does it even matter any more what with massive immigration from all over.

[Petrosius]

While the Catholic/Protestant divide is certainly important, it masks an ethnic Irish/British divide that is also a strong driving force of the conflict. We should think of the division of population as Catholic/Irish and Protestant/British rather than purely one of religion.

[Olog-hai]

Consider that Northern Ireland was the last corner of the British Isles that had abortion banned, until Westminster forced abortion on them back in October of 2019.

[Olog-hai]

Doesn’t matter, not only because of the “immigration” but also due to the fact that they are not independent but a province of the European Union.