Institutional Religiosity as a Factor in the Adaptation of Polish Immigrants in Ireland

A high level of adherence with Catholicism is one of the cultural similarities between the cohort of Polish immigrants living in Ireland and the rest of the Republic of Ireland’s population. Sharing the same religious beliefs seems to be a social bridge that accelerates mutual acceptance and adjustment at the time of massive migration. Therefore, the article aims to evaluate the integrative function of institutional religiousness. The fi ndings show that both the Polish immigrants and the natives tend to separate from one another instead of integrating, though. With regard to the bonding function of institutional religiousness, a high level of intercultural competence among religious leaders is required. It is evident, however, that neither the Irish Catholic church nor the chaplaincy for Polish immigrants have such skilful and integrative leaders