“Among the Most Catechised but among the least Evangelised”? Religious Education in Ireland

It has been said that the Irish are the most catechised but among the least evangelised in Europe. This article examines the contemporary situation of religious education in Ireland with a particular focus on its ecumenical aspects. It begins by outlining the historical journey in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that led Ireland to the current situation. On that basis it considers some of the issues that have arisen in recent times that have seen a dramatic change in religious practice in Ireland. It explores the issue of the relationship of parish, school and family