Stories: Ireland
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Not All Irish Are Enjoying the Nation’s Economic Recovery
LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST: Seven years after the global economic meltdown, there are countries that are still struggling to recover but not Ireland. Its economy is not just robust, it's the fastest-growing economy in Europe. Many credit Ireland's turnaround to the austerity measures the European Union forced on them, similar to the belt-tightening that Greece must now do. So...
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After Scandals, Ireland Is No Longer ‘Most Catholic Country in the World’
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Pope Paul VI had a phrase for Ireland. Back in 1946, he called it the most Catholic country in the world. This is the story of how Ireland has become a little less so. DAVID GREENE, HOST: Last spring, Irish voters ignored the church's opposition and approved gay marriage. This came after scandals involving priests and a...
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As More Irish Turn Away From Catholicism, Parents Call for Non-Religious Schools
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: In the U.S., parents who want to give their children a religious education have to pay for it for the most part. In Ireland, it's the opposite - 92 percent of state schools are run by the Catholic Church. That's even though growing numbers of people in Ireland no longer identify as Catholic. And this...