Religion

Any commentary on the religious affiliation of the population of the island of Ireland should be mindful of the potential emotiveness of the subject matter, not least given the historical usage of religion as a proxy indicator for national identity and political allegiance in Northern Ireland. Rather than dwelling on such debates and speculation, the purpose of this commentary is to provide a matter-of-fact overview of the prevalence and geographical distribution of the principal religious groupings identified on the island as derived from the 2011 censuses. It draws out the key characteristics concerning religion identification and further underlines certain comparisons, within and between, both jurisdictions on the island, with an emphasis on the largest population centres, Dublin and Belfast. Further, a more detailed emphasis is placed on Belfast as a result of the distinct geographical distribution of religion affiliation and community background that exists in the city.