The Republic of Ireland is a relatively small country, both in geographical size and population. It has a rich Christian history that can be traced back to the fifth century and data from the most recent census of 2016 indicates the population of the Republic of Ireland stands at 4,761,865. The percentage of the population who identified as Roman Catholic on the 2016 census was 78.3 percent (CSO 2016). However, the influence of the Catholic Church has been eroded significantly since the 1980s. Religious language, symbols and ritu…