Catholics pretending to be Protestants in Ireland?

[Dannyboy20]

I've recently discovered something in my family history, I've discovered that my great grandparents had a child out of wedlock, and that apparently, according to a family member, they were Protestant, but I've found them both on census and they are both listed as Roman Catholics, Did they pretend to be Protestants to cover up their child out of wedlock? Did this happen in the Republic of Ireland back then? I thought this type of thing may have happened in Northern Ireland but not the Republic, they both have irish surnames too. Any help on this subject will be greatly appreciated

[Sinann]

Unless your looking at a census from after 1949, than they were not in the Republic of Ireland as it didn't exist.
At the time of the 1901 and 1911 Censuses it was Ireland. There was no Northern Ireland or Irish Free State (later Republic of Ireland).

Maybe your family member is incorrect, maybe the couple converted, maybe one of them converted in order to marry.
What religious denomination they were isn't going to make any difference to the fact they had a child before they married.
Have you looked at the original image of the census, maybe there is an error.

[Billyblue]

Danny boy, when is "back then"?

If you're talking about pre-1900, then it is often documented that, for 'religio-political' purposes, when England required everyone in Ireland to be almost anything but Catholic, people gave 'lip service' to being Protestant even though at heart they were Catholic.

Dawn M

[aghadowey]

Danny boy, when is "back then"?

If you're talking about pre-1900, then it is often documented that, for 'religio-political' purposes, when England required everyone in Ireland to be almost anything but Catholic, people gave 'lip service' to being Protestant even though at heart they were Catholic.

Dawn M

Not strictly true. It wasn't just a Protestant versus Catholic thing. The Church of Ireland was the Established or State church and discriminated against everyone else- Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, etc.

[Dannyboy20]

No error it is definitley Roman Catholic for both, I think they may have pretended to be Protestant to avoid discrimination. This was in the early 20th century around the 20s and  30s, I just find it hard to believe that religion caused this much of a divide, Im Catholic myself and I cant imagine being discriminated against just because of my religion or doing the same to somebody else because of theirs.

[Sinann]

How would pretending to be Protestant avoid discrimination?
All the Christian denominations disapprove of having children outside of wedlock.
What church did they marry in?

[Blue70]

No error it is definitley Roman Catholic for both, I think they may have pretended to be Protestant to avoid discrimination. This was in the early 20th century around the 20s and  30s, I just find it hard to believe that religion caused this much of a divide, Im Catholic myself and I cant imagine being discriminated against just because of my religion or doing the same to somebody else because of theirs.

Are you talking about the Irish Free State AKA Southern Ireland that would eventually become the Republic of Ireland? In the 1920s and 1930s? If so then Catholics were an overwhelming majority in this state and most of those in government were Catholics:-

"92.6% of the south's population were Catholic while 7.4% were Protestant"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Ireland


Blue

[Skoosh]

Anent "Children out of wedlock!" the establishment in Ireland regarded kids christened in non-conformist churches as not being legitimate.

Skoosh.

[heywood]

No error it is definitley Roman Catholic for both, I think they may have pretended to be Protestant to avoid discrimination. This was in the early 20th century around the 20s and  30s, I just find it hard to believe that religion caused this much of a divide, Im Catholic myself and I cant imagine being discriminated against just because of my religion or doing the same to somebody else because of theirs.

Hello,

Initially you say that 'according to a family member they were Protestant' but you have evidence through a census that they were Catholic.
Was the Protestantism before or after that census? Do you have marriage and baptismal records?
Were they buried as Catholics or Protestants?
Perhaps they just changed their faith if it all happened later.
The circumstances seem, at the moment, to be very vague.

Regards
Heywood