Pray for Ireland

In Ireland, a short stop at a friend’s house for a quick “hello” and a cup of tea can easily turn into an hours-long chat. The process of saying goodbye in the hallway often means chatting for another half hour before actually making it out the door. The older folk of Ireland love to tell stories — about their childhood and about strange neighbors, sometimes exaggerated beyond the truth to add drama and humor. Local pubs are Ireland’s gathering place, where friends chat together over pints of Guinness. England, and later the United Kingdom, ruled over Ireland for roughly 800 years, and Ireland only separated from the Commonwealth in 1949. With one of Europe’s lowest tax rates, Ireland has attracted many international technology and medical companies.

Ireland has changed dramatically since an economic boom in the 1990s and early 2000s, and a growing population has transformed it into one of Europe’s wealthier economies. However, Ireland has not built enough homes to keep pace with its population growth, especially in cities, so people struggle to find permanent homes. The building industry is still recovering from a 2008 collapse, and the number of homes needed only increases as refugees and immigrants continue to arrive in the country. The struggle to afford high living costs has contributed to anxiety and depression among the Irish. Addiction to alcohol and drugs has broken thousands of families and lives. The consequences of the Troubles, a 30-year conflict over Northern Ireland that ended in 1998, continue to generate tension and have left deep scars on people living in Ireland’s northern regions.

Since Saint Patrick came to Ireland in the 5th century, Christianity — especially Catholicism — has shaped Irish identity. However, a string of scandals within the Roman Catholic Church have severely shaken Ireland’s Christian foundations, particularly among younger generations. Church attendance, which was once at 85 percent, has fallen below 50 percent. Even among regular Catholic churchgoers, spiritual life has become passive and stale. But Irish people are beginning to tire of living with lifeless faith, and there is a growing hunger for God. Within the Catholic Church, a charismatic movement is gaining momentum. The evangelical church is also growing in numbers as local Irishmen and Christian immigrants gather together. These Christians are sharing their faith with neighbors and are excited to bring the Gospel to the world.