IRELAND

The Republic of Ireland (Eire) is the only English-speaking Catholic nation. Ireland has a population of 4.2 million (a further 1.75 million live in Northern Ireland). While Catholicism is a major influence over the country and culture, few have a living relationship with God.  Traditional  'religion' has failed to tackle serious social problems such as alcoholism, teenage pregnancy and a high suicide rate among young men.

Evangelical numbers have grown over the past 10 years and stand at 0.75% of the population, though according to Operation World, this is still the lowest percentage of any country in the English-speaking world.

NEW MINISTRY

Although OM has a long history of involvement in Ireland, OM Ireland itself is one of the newest ministries in OM Europe. It was launched in 2002 to work alongside the Irish church for evangelism and world missions. The first Global Action team started in September 2002. A team is currently based in Donegal (Northwest Ireland), involved in running programmes for children and young people, recording "Word for the Day" radio broadcasts, and supporting a range of community projects.  

The Big Red Bus is a vital part of OM Ireland’s work. A double-decker London bus, it is the ideal venue for children’s clubs and youth coffee bars. Several times a year, the team takes the bus to different parts of Ireland – working in partnership with Irish churches to share the Gospel through week-long programmes.