Islam and Muslims in the Republic of Ireland: An Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

This article serves as an introduction to the special issue on Islam in the Republic of Ireland. The introduction gives a brief overview of previous studies on Islam and Muslims in Ireland and shows their links with the studies published in this issue. Second, it presents in a concise manner the historical development of Islam in Ireland with respect to the increasing numbers of Muslims. As Ireland became a new destination for immigrants during the years of the economic boom, nicknamed the “Celtic Tiger Years”, immigrants and refugees arrived in a manner that would not have been anticipated some decades ago. The article also examines the subsequent process of the institutionalization of Islam in the country. Third, issues concerning the accommodation of Muslims in the Irish educational system, which in similar fashion to other European countries are also debated in Ireland, are discussed in order to investigate questions around the integration and accommodation of Muslims and the place of Islam in “religious” Ireland in general. The article concludes with suggestions for areas of future research on Islam and Muslims in Ireland.