Celtic paganism in the context of "People of Ireland"

Christianity has been the largest religion in Ireland since the 5th century. After a pagan past of Antiquity, missionaries (most famously including Saint Patrick) converted the Irish tribes to Christianity in quick order. This produced a great number of saints in the Early Middle Ages, as well as a faith interwoven with Irish identity for centuries since − though less so in recent times.

Most Christian churches are organized on an "all-Ireland" basis, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In the 2022 census, 76.1% of residents in the Republic of Ireland identified as Christians: 69.1% as Catholics, 4.2% as Protestants, 2.1% as Orthodox Christians and 0.7% as other Christians. In the 2021 Northern Irish census, 79.7% of residents identified as Christians: 42.3% as Catholics, 16.6% as Prebysterian, 11.5% as Church of Ireland members, 2.4% as Methodist and 6.9% as other Christians. Orthodoxy has been the fastest growing branch of Christianity in Ireland since 1991.

The Irish (Irish: Na Gaeil or Na hÉireannaigh) are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common ancestry, history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been continually inhabited for more than 10,000 years (see Prehistoric Ireland). For most of Ireland's recorded history, the Irish have been primarily a Gaelic people (see Gaelic Ireland). From the 9th century, small numbers of Vikings settled in Ireland, becoming the Norse-Gaels. Anglo-Normans also conquered parts of Ireland in the 12th century, while England's 16th/17th century conquest and colonisation of Ireland brought many English and Lowland Scots to parts of the island, especially the north. Today, Ireland is made up of the Republic of Ireland (officially called Ireland) and Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom). The people of Northern Ireland hold various national identities including Irish, British or some combination thereof.

The Irish have their own unique customs, language, music, dance, sports, cuisine and mythology. Although Irish (Gaeilge) was their main language in the past, today most Irish people speak English as their first language. Historically, the Irish nation was made up of kin groups or clans, and the Irish also had their own religion, law code, alphabet and style of dress.