Would you support a United Ireland under these circumstances?

[Óttar]

Ireland needs to get the Catholic church out of the equation though so as not to upset the protestants - a secular nation or at least Christian but with no official denomination.

So the Republic of Ireland's full title is the Holy Catholic Republic of Ireland? Is the Pope the Head of State?

[Albion]

So the Republic of Ireland's full title is the Holy Catholic Republic of Ireland? Is the Pope the Head of State?

Don't try and be funny. You know what I'm talking about. Ireland is run as a Catholic country.
Anglicanism might have the monarch as it's head, but this has nothing to do with Ireland.

The difference between Ireland and GB regarding religion is that there hasn't been a major religious conflict in centuries. Ireland's religious conflict is recent and the differences are keeping the nation from becoming united.

Instead of the stubborn clinging to Catholicism the state should favour neither denominations and then the alienation of Protestants would be slightly less which would improve the situation.

[Orange&BlueBear]

On what grounds? The present state of Northern Ireland is not terribly different than what Parnell and the Home Rulers proposed for Ireland in the 1890s. I should think most NI (except the IRA crowd) would welcome such a union.

Why the hell would Unionists want to?

[Orange&BlueBear]

The child abuse scandals could almost practically destroy the influence of the Roman Catholic church in Eire, I read today that some priests might need to start looking for part-time jobs as the child abuse scandals have put people off attending and financing the Church, the Irish Government even moved their ambassador from the Vatican last week because of a lack of money. The child abuse scandals are also going to affect Sinn Fein.

The leader of Sinn Fein Gerry Adams brother is facing prosecution for child abuse against his daughters, Gerry Adams knew about this and still let him work with children in a community programme within his West Belfast constituency before the story came into the public domain, there could be a backlash against Adams as the case gathers momentum.

[Óttar]

Don't try and be funny. You know what I'm talking about. Ireland is run as a Catholic country.

OK, so what you're saying is that Catholicism is the state religion?

[Jake Featherston]

OK, so what you're saying is that Catholicism is the state religion?

Ireland is a secular republic, albeit not as secular as fanatical secularists would prefer. And they can frankly go bite monkey, for all I care.

[Weedman]

There is no such a thing as a country named Ireland.

You have the country of Ulster, and then the Fenian bastards who live to the south of them in a semi-tribal, backwards, land of mists and legends where all of the inhabitants like to eat potatoes and imagine the Pope as their elf-king.

[Weedman]

The child abuse scandals could almost practically destroy the influence of the Roman Catholic church in Eire, I read today that some priests might need to start looking for part-time jobs as the child abuse scandals have put people off attending and financing the Church, the Irish Government even moved their ambassador from the Vatican last week because of a lack of money. The child abuse scandals are also going to affect Sinn Fein.

The leader of Sinn Fein Gerry Adams brother is facing prosecution for child abuse against his daughters, Gerry Adams knew about this and still let him work with children in a community programme within his West Belfast constituency before the story came into the public domain, there could be a backlash against Adams as the case gathers momentum.

not to mention the fact that Gerry Adams and Martin Maginness have been living together as a homosexual couple for the last 20 years.

[Weedman]

So the Republic of Ireland's full title is the Holy Catholic Republic of Ireland? Is the Pope the Head of State?

that is stupid. are you seriously that ignorant?

In Ireland one's religious affiliation actually is more about his ethnic/political affiliation than religion
Most Irishmen in the republic and most Catholics in Ulster would not have anything against a protestant from say, America or somewhere else outside of Ireland (except maybe England?), but they do have conflict with protestants actually from Ireland or Ulster

So yes, Ireland is a very Catholic dominated state but has more to do with the politics within Ireland itself and with the ethnic/political divisions in Ireland than anything else.


You act as if people in the Irish republic dont mind what religion their political leaders are? Of course they do.
Where they live, Catholic=Irish Nationalist/Republican


and all of this is very obvious to anyone who's ever even heard of Ireland or Northern Ireland.

[Baluarte]

Pff.

Freedom for Ireland!, no conditions.