A new study has found that baptisms in Ireland have fallen by 30 per cent in 10 years. The research, conducted by the Iona Institute, found the two leading factors in the decline to be a decline in birth rates and a rise in secularism among the Irish population.
The ten-year period saw birth rates across the island of Ireland fall by 19.8 per cent. The Republic of Ireland saw a 17.9 per cent decrease and Northern Ireland saw a decrease of 21.3 per cent. Furthermore, in 2016, almost 80 per cent of zero to four-year-olds were listed in census data as Catholic, with just over 9 per cent being recorded as having no religion. By 2022, the figures had changed to about 65 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.
However, the census data did suggest that almost all of the mothers who identified as Catholic had their children baptised, which the Iona Institute stated that it indicated cultural Catholicism “remains a big factor in Irish life”.
The institute noted from baptismal figures that there was “considerable regional variation in the trend”, with the Archdiocese of Dublin seeing a 40 per cent fall in the last ten years, whereas the Diocese of Kerry saw a fall of 22.3 per cent.
It stated: “Down & Connor, which contains the city of Belfast, has also recorded a big fall, as has Meath diocese, which largely covers Co Meath and Co Westmeath. Notably, Dublin has seen its birth rate fall by more than the national average, and Dublin is also more secular than the national average.”
Commenting on the figures, Dr Tom Finegan, chairman of the Iona Institute, said the figures were “not a surprise given the rapidly falling number of births and growing secularisation” and that, given these factors, “we could expect nothing but a big drop in baptism figures”.
He continued: “However, the figures also show that ‘cultural Catholicism’ remains strong on the island. We see that as at Census 2022, 67.9 per cent of mothers with children aged 0-4 still identified as Catholic, even though a big majority of these would not be regular Mass-goers.”
“It remains to be seen whether cultural Catholicism will remain a force in Irish life. It’s worth noting that in Britain in 2023, according to the Vatican yearbook, over 42,000 Catholic children were baptised, even though levels of Mass-attendance in Britain are low.”
“The fall in baptisms must be seen not simply as the result of secularisation, but even more as a result of falling births. Ireland’s fertility rate is now just 1.5, well below the replacement level of 2.1. This should be of concern to everyone, regardless of religious belief."
