The population who identified as Catholic on the census has fallen sharply to more than 78.8 percent in the most recent census before 2017 .
Christianity is the predominant religion , and while Ireland remains a predominantly Catholic country , the percentage of the population who identified as Catholic on the census has fallen sharply from 84.2 percent in the 2011 census to 78.3 percent in the most recent 2016 census .
Republic of Ireland