Protestantism in Ulster

Protestantism is one of the two major Christian denominational families in the province of Ulster, along with Catholicism. In the 2011 census of Northern Ireland (which has 88% of Ulster's 2.1 million population), 48% (883,768) described themselves as Protestant, which was a decline of approximately 5% from the 2001 census.^[1][2] In the 2011 census of the Republic of Ireland, around 10% of the population of the Republic's three Ulster counties described themselves as Protestant, a proportion double the average for the Republic.^[3] Protestantism is the second largest religious grouping in these three counties.^[3] Some forms of Protestantism may have existed in Ulster since the early 16th century. The Church of Ireland was established by King Henry VIII of England.

The history of Ulster has made it unique among the provinces of Ireland in not having a Catholic majority. Early Protestant settlements on Ulster's east coast were augmented by the government-sponsored Ulster Plantation of mostly Protestant Scots and English settlers throughout the province in the 17th century, and immigration of (usually Scots) British Protestants continued throughout the following centuries.

Most Ulster Protestants are Presbyterian, reflecting the strong Scottish immigration to the province. The second largest Protestant denomination is the Anglican Church of Ireland, the sister church of the Church of England of many of the English settlers. Methodism made inroads in Ulster beginning in the 18th century, particularly in strongly Anglican areas like County Armagh.

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