IRELAND
The Irish Times
BY ALISON HEALY
How many Catholics?
2011 84.2% Proportion of the population – or 3,861,300 people – who said they were Catholic in the 2011 census
1930s 93.5% Proportion of the population – or 2,773,920 people – who said they were Catholic in the 1936 census
1920s 92.6% Proportion of the population – or 2,751,269 people – who said they were Catholic in the 1926 census
LOUGH DERG: 1952 was the most successful year, with 34,645 pilgrims. A one-day retreat that Lough Derg introduced in 1992 may account for some of the reduction in numbers. About 4,000 people went that year. After reaching 12,645 in 2000, numbers have dropped; last year 8,321 people went on the one-day retreat
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