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The Catholic Church in Ireland is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. There are an estimated 4.5 million baptised Catholics in Ireland out of a total population of just under 6 million.

The Church is organised into four provinces, not however, corresponding with the provincial divisions. It is ruled by four archbishops and twenty-three bishops. But the number of dioceses is more than twenty-seven, there have been amalgamations and absorptions. Cashel, for instance, has been joined with Emly, Waterford with Lismore, Ardagh with Clonmacnoise, the bishop of Galway being also Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora. The number of parishes is 1,087, a few of these are governed by administrators, the remainder by parish priests, while the total number of the secular clergy—parish priests, administrators, curates, chaplains, and professors in colleges—amounts to around 3,000. A full list of dioceses can be found here: List of the Roman Catholic dioceses of Ireland.

There are also many religious orders which include: Augustinians, Capuchins, Carmelites, Fathers of the Holy Ghost, Dominicans, Franciscans, Jesuits, Marists, Order of Charity, Oblates, Passionists, Redemptorists, and Vincentians. The total number of the regular clergy is about 700. They are engaged either in teaching or in giving missions, but not charged with the government of parishes.

Contents 1 History, legal status and politics 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

Until 1869, the Church of Ireland was the state church. The special position of The Roman Catholic Church was recognised in the Constitution of the Republic of Ireland from 1937 until 1973, until removed by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland after a referendum supported by the Roman Catholic Church itself. This amendment removed the reference to "special position" of the Catholic Church.

Following the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland freedom of religion was established. However, at founding of the Irish Free State in 1922, the Church actually had equal power until the drafting of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland. The Constitution of the Irish Free State had no special position for religion, (Article 8). The Catholic Church had great influence in education and politics. For instance the Health (Family Planning) Act, 1979 showed the ability of the Catholic Church to force the government into a compromise situation, whilst not been able to get the result they wanted. Most notably in the 1983 Amendment to the constitution which introduced the constitutional prohibition of abortion of which the Church spoke out on. Other examples of Church involvement in politics include the June, 1996, removal of the constitutional prohibition of divorce, retaining certain restrictions on its occurrence, and in 1950, when it opposed the Mother and Child Scheme.

The Government of Ireland Act of 1920 acted as the constitution of Northern Ireland, in which was enshrined freedom of religion for all of Northern Ireland's citizens.^[1] The Roman Catholic schools' council was at first resistant in accepting the role of the government of Northern Ireland, and initially accepted funding only from the government of the Irish Free State and admitting no school inspectors. Thus it was that the Lynn Committee presented a report to the government, from which an Education Bill was created to update the education system in Northern Ireland, without any co-operation from the Roman Catholic section in education. Instead, in regard to the Roman Catholic schools, the report relied on the guidance of a Roman Catholic who was to become the Permanent Secretary to the Minister of Education — Bonaparte Wyse.

“	We hope that, notwithstanding the disadvantage at which we were placed by this action, it will be found that Roman Catholic interests have not suffered. We have throughout been careful to keep in mind and to make allowance for the particular points of view of Roman Catholics in regard to edication so far as known to us, and it has been our desire to refrain as far as we could from recommending any course which might be thought to be contrary to their wishes.[2]	”
—Lynn Commission report, 1923

The Catholic Church still has major influence on health and education in the Republic of Ireland. Over 90% of schools in the Republic are under Church control with funding from the Irish State. In Northern Ireland, almost 50% of primary school pupils attend state funded Catholic schools with the proportion being only slightly lower in secondary schools.^{[citation needed]} In all Catholic primary schools (and the vast majority of Catholic secondary schools) religious instruction is a part of the curriculum. At primary level the teachers prepare the pupils for their First Confession, First Holy Communion and Confirmation.

The health sector in the Republic is also similarly set up. For example, in County Cork and Cork City some of the hospitals, are administered by Boards with a Catholic ethos. The situation is radically different in Northern Ireland due to the National Health Service.

• Roman Catholicism by country
• Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland

List of Cathedrals of the Roman Catholic Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland

England and Wales Province of Westminster Brentwood · Norwich · Northampton · Nottingham · Westminster Province of Birmingham Birmingham · Clifton · Shrewsbury Province of Liverpool Lancaster · Leeds · Liverpool · Middlesbrough · Newcastle-upon-Tyne · Salford · Sheffield Province of Southwark Arundel · Plymouth · Portsmouth · Southwark Province of Cardiff Cardiff · Swansea · Wrexham Other dioceses Bishopric of the Forces · Apostolic Exarchate for Ukrainians  Scotland Province of St Andrews and Edinburgh Aberdeen · Ayr · Dumfries · Dundee · Edinburgh · Oban Province of Glasgow Glasgow · Motherwell · Paisley  Ireland Province of Armagh Armagh · Belfast · Cavan · Derry · Letterkenny · Longford · Monaghan · Mullingar · Newry Province of Cashel Cobh · Cork · Ennis · Killarney · Limerick · Skibbereen · Thurles · Waterford Province of Dublin Carlow · Dublin · Enniscorthy · Kilkenny Province of Tuam Ballaghaderreen · Ballina · Galway · Loughrea · Sligo · Tuam

Roman Catholicism

1. ^ His Majesty's Government (23/12/1920). The Constitution of Northern Ireland being the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, as amended (Clause 5). Government of Ireland Act, 1920. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1956. Retrieved on Error: invalid time.
2. ^ Morrison, John (1993). "The Ulster Government and Internal Opposition", The Ulster Cover-Up. Northern Ireland: Ulster Society (Publications), 40. ISBN 1-872076-15-7. 

• Homepage of the Irish Bishops' Conference

• CatholicIreland.net, Content-rich portal of the Catholic Church in Ireland