NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > News > News From Ireland > Gap between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland down to just three per cent

Gap between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland down to just three per cent

Just 40 per cent say they are British only in latest Northern Ireland census

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, December 11, 2012, 7:06 AM

Updated Tuesday, December 11, 2012, 9:13 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

123 Comments

The Catholic population in Northern Ireland is now just three percentage points behind the number of Protestants in the province.

Photo by Google Images

The Catholic population in Northern Ireland is now just three percentage points behind the number of Protestants in the province.

New census figures show that the gap between the proportion of Protestants and Catholics has narrowed.

The percentage of Catholics is up to 45 per cent while Protestant representation has fallen to 48 per cent from the 2001 census.

Experts say the dwindling gap between the two groups will lead to major political change in the near future.

When first created the Northern state had a 66 per cent to 33 per cent Protestant population over Catholic and Sir James Craig called it a “Protestant state for a Protestant people.”

The new figures are detailed in the 2011 census, published on Tuesday by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

The new census shows that almost half the population, 48 per cent, designated themselves as British when asked to select one or more of a number of identities, including Northern Irish or Irish.

The report also states that a total of 29 per cent of the overall population included Northern Irish as an identity while 28 per cent included Irish.

The 2011 census was the first time a question on national identity was asked in Northern Ireland.

Read more Irish news here

The results show that 40 per cent said they were British only with the remaining 8 per cent opting for British along with another one of the identities, such as British and Irish or British and Northern Irish.

A quarter of the population defined themselves as Irish only while 21 per cent said they were Northern Irish only.

Questioned about their religion in 2001 in the last census 53 per cent of the population replied Protestant with 44 per cent Catholic.

The Irish Times reports that statistics from the North’s Department of Education for 2010/11 showed 120,415 Protestants and 163,693 Catholics in schools, equating to 57.6 per cent Catholic and 42.4 per cent Protestant pupils.

An additional 37,609 classify themselves as ‘other Christian’ (8,282), ‘non-Christian’ (1,726) and the 27,601 who fall into the ‘other/no religion/religion not recorded’ category.

The paper states that figures for 2009/10 show that in Queen’s University, Belfast, there were 8,710 Northern Ireland-domiciled students of a Catholic background compared with 6,740 from the Protestant tradition.

In the University of Ulster there were 11,070 Catholics and 7,020 Protestants.

In the two teacher-training colleges, Stranmillis and St Mary’s, there were 1,215 Catholics and 650 Protestants.

The Northern Ireland population now stands at 1,810,900, the highest ever recorded, and brings the population of the island of Ireland to just under 6.4 million which is the highest population in Ireland since the first post-Famine census of 1851.

1 2 Next page >

Nster.com

E-mail

123 Comments

15 - 123 | See all comments

bob mcbride | Dec 16, 2012, 09:24 AM EST

In order for the irish,northern irish, british,catholic,protestant,transplanted scot or whatever the hell you call yourself to have a utopian society. Maybe you should quit having stupid census reports that continues to divide people. Everybody needs a place to sleep,eat,and play! Chase the foreign bankers out first don't let them divide and conquer use your brains counihan!

Report abuse

seanomelb | Dec 15, 2012, 11:05 PM EST

If only 28% of northern nationalists classify themselves as Catholics why do 42% of passport holders have irish passports???

Report abuse

curtisjohnson | Dec 15, 2012, 10:12 PM EST

Dark but perhaps it is developing that way, seamus60 - the root of most of it being degnerate anglo-dutch materialism.

Report abuse

seamus60 | Dec 15, 2012, 01:20 PM EST

We may well be arguing over issues that won`t matter in the not too far future. As we are all being sucked into a new world order. One where nothing will matter more than whether your personal chip is working properly. Anyone not complying to the orders of the world guardians, will find themselves with wonky chips, making life very difficult and no one prepared to speak on their behalf.

Report abuse

curtisjohnson | Dec 15, 2012, 11:04 AM EST

STEVENSTAR " Why the Northern part of my Country gives Americans so much concern and worry ill never know. It has nothing to do with you" Like it or not the harsh reality is that without Americans their would be no independent Irish state and the indigenous population would have been cleansed from the North long ago.

Report abuse

STEVENSTAR | Dec 15, 2012, 10:45 AM EST

Why the Northern part of my Country gives Americans so much concern and worry ill never know. It has nothing to do with you . You live on a different continent and so far removed from Ireland and the Irish way of life its just comical... If i was you id focus more on your own country and its problems with guns etc... and nutcases going into Schools shooting kids and id forget about the people of Northern Ireland and all your opions as its totally irrelevant to all of you..

Report abuse

Seanmor | Dec 15, 2012, 02:33 AM EST

One can easily understand why only 28% of the Catholics in the Six-Counties identify themselves as Irish, since successive governmenthe in the Southern Irish state have regarded the North's population as foreign people and their territory as alien soil.

Report abuse

seanomelb | Dec 14, 2012, 05:37 PM EST

Here we go agin ciara wanting to stifle everyone elses opinion,butt out if you do not wish to add to the debate Your last five line are flawed and puerile to the extreme.

Report abuse

Gearoid4 | Dec 14, 2012, 04:38 PM EST

The term "northern" Irish as a "nationality" in the context of the partitioned 6 partitioned counties, always seemed to me to be illogical from many angles. Donegal contains the furthest point north in Ireland, namely Malin Head, but yet it does not feature in the "northern" Ireland state. There is nothing to separate Donegal(or Monaghan or Cavan) in any meaningful ethnic, social or cultural sense from those six counties. The "northern" Irish identity seems to be me to be at best regional within the Island nation of Ireland and should encompass such areas as northern Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Sligo if it is to be credible. I see it on the same level as someone from Rochdale claiming to be northern English, someone from the Isle of Skye referring to themselves as northern Scottish or a person from the town of Wrexham claiming to be northern Welsh. These are not national identities but geographical or regional ones, and it applies to the northern Irish identity as well.

Report abuse

ciaradexy | Dec 14, 2012, 03:09 PM EST

Maybe this story needs to be reported properly, 25% of those who live in NI class themselves as Irish, 40% as British, 21% Northern Irish and 7% are neither Irish or British. This shows that the majority want to remain part of the UK and do not want a united Ireland. Leave them to it, its no one elses business unless you live there.

Report abuse

ancavker | Dec 14, 2012, 10:57 AM EST

Citizen: The initial early violence was bad, but by 1923 or so, it had pretty much died off. Comparing the U.S., to the U.K. is a stretch. Yes the English put together the U.K. only problem with that is they did not really check with the residents of the various parts before it was put together. I don't believe the tax payers should (English) should continue to pay for a place that brings nothing to the table. The English people have the right to stop this.Also to say things were not handled perfectly is an understatement. I would have even been Ok with a temporary partition of the country, had it been done the way Lloyd George presented it to Michael Collins. As far as the IRA attacking isolated Protestants, I dont believe it was because they were just Protestant, but rather perceived as aiding continued British rule. I will take south Armagh off your hands, but no deal on swapping Donegal for Fermanagh. We northern Irish like to look out for each other!

Report abuse

citizen69 | Dec 14, 2012, 09:18 AM EST

@ancavker: But we ARE part of the same country as London, it's called the United Kingdom. Should Mainland USA support Alaska or Hawaii? It was the English that put the UK together, they weren't unwilling bedfellows in all of this. Its a bit disingenuous to call the IRA violence of the twenties in NI "annoying but no big deal". I'm sure the families of those murdered wouldn't have thought so. Many people on both sides were killed in the civil unrest back then. In just one incident 8 protestants were killed by a bomb on a tram in east Belfast and the southern IRA made many excursions over the border to attack isolated protestants. It was a very bloody period for both sides. I don't pretend for a second that everything was handled perfectly here in NI but we are were we are today as a result of all that has gone on in the past, no side has clean hands. Anyway, maybe we can do a deal regarding the Donegal - Fermanagh thing... although Fermanagh is beautiful too, so would you take Larne!? We'll even throw in South Armagh! ;-)

Report abuse

ancavker | Dec 14, 2012, 08:35 AM EST

citizen: Many Irish are culturally not Really British, but English, as they think everything from ENgland is better, or more fashionable. They cringe at their own. Much of this of course comes from an inferiority complex that many Irish have. Also they cannot maje up their minds about my good Plastic Paddies in Eugland. On one hand they are obsessed with English football teams like of course Manchester United, and they say part of that reason is because many of the players have Irish connections, and yet they bash those same Plastic Paddies who are proud of those Irish connections.

Report abuse

ancavker | Dec 14, 2012, 08:30 AM EST

citizen: Oh no, I criticize the catholics/nationalists too, for the welfare/dole, and all the othe goodies. That is why so many now would chose to remain in the UK. Not because they feel British, or are loyal, simply because they get free money.More so now after the people/government in the south have made a mess of the place. There is one thing about subsidizing poorer areas in England, the same is done in the U.S., quite another in subsidizing people in another country. You did have 50 years of little violence to build a successful inclusive northern Ireland. The IRA attacks were pathetic and unsuccessful. You had the armed RUC, the UDR, and the B-Specials the IRA violence then was light a fly on an elephant, annoying but no big deal. Had the Catholics not been treated like second class citizens in their own country we would not have had th heartache of the troubles. Peaceful civil rights demonstrations, and all the rest met with ciolence from the loyalists. Sunningdale in 1973, a reasonable compromise bought down by loyalist violence, and the madness continued for another 25 years. This is your legacy of what youcreated in northern Ireland. By the way you may not have Donegal, I do want my Fermanagh back. And you do know that at the time had the wishes of the majority of people been taken into consideration you neve should have gotten Fermanagh, Tyrone, west Derry, and sout Armagh.

Report abuse

IrelandNorth | Dec 14, 2012, 07:50 AM EST

If 21% of NI Census (NIC) identify themselves as Northern Irish (NI) only, fly the Ulsterised Saint Patrick's Cross 77 days per year (dpy). If 25% identify themselves as Irish only, fly the Irish tricolour 91 dpy. If 40% identify themselves as British only, fly the union jack 146 dpy. Since 14% of NIC declare no or none nationality, redistribute their 51 dpy to NI/Irish and British identities (ie 17 per national identity (tot 94/108/163 dpy)). Or fly the flags of those with dual national identity simultaneously for those 51 dpy. PS Loyalists will have to emend their protest placards to read: "Ulster is [40%] British!" Or: "Ulster is British[-ish]!"

Report abuse