Ireland is a lot different from the Ireland that would have been portrayed in the movies. Certainly in my generation and even now many in my mums generation no longer feel the need to follow strictly Catholic doctrine and teachings. 

This is mostly a question for irishshane, but doesn't that have very far reaching political implications?  I mean, if the green people and the orange people stop believing in god then everybody's happy, right?

And please forgive my ignorance about the emerald isle... I have Irish blood on both sides, so I'm curious about Irish culture.  I can't rightly call myself Irish-American though...  my family's more hispanic then anything else.