Changes in the practice of religion in Ireland can be witnessed in industrial estates dotted around the country.
Dozens
of warehouses on obscure back roads in towns and cities of Ireland come
alive at odd hours of the week with sounds of cars arriving, children
playing, gospel music, the Islamic call to prayer or a multitude of
voices praying in different languages.
These
industrial units are often unidentifiable as places of worship from the
outside.
Occasionally there is a board on the outer wall with the name
of the religious group using the premises.
Inside, there is usually one
large windowless room and smaller office-style spaces surrounding it.
The units vary in size. Some cater for
congregations of up to 500. Others cater for smaller groups of maybe 50.
The décor varies too, depending on the financial resources available.
Money is used for paint, carpets, seating, altars, PA systems, toilets,
kitchens, heating, electrical wiring and internal walls.
Warehouses
are used by migrant Pentecostal and Muslim groups as well as sometimes
by Orthodox Christians and other religious denominations.
Renting them
is affordable, particularly during the economic downturn, and objections
by the public on the basis of planning or parking are rare.
Nigerian mosques
In Coolmine industrial estate in Blanchardstown, there is a Nigerian mosque in a small warehouse.
Imam Moses Ogunse
says there are many Nigerian mosques in industrial units around Dublin
and explains that western Nigerians like to have separate places from
northern Nigerians as they speak different languages.
Ten
minutes drive away in Damastown there is a giant warehouse with a logo
on the outside saying Betania. It’s a Romanian Pentecostal church.
On a
recent Sunday morning almost all the parking spaces are taken. Inside
the plush and modern surroundings, there are hundreds of people singing
and praying in Romanian.
Services broadcast
Pastor at Betania, Avraam Hudarau, says they broadcast their services live online and have hundreds of viewers around the world. He explains that it’s a way to connect with their families.
“This
unit is very important to us – especially because of the car park which
means we’re not obstructing other people. It’s a real blessing. When we
arrived here first it was just an empty room. We put in everything
ourselves. We have a five-year lease which ends in 2016.”
Down
the road from Betania there is an industrial estate with a unit which
is home to a branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the
biggest Pentecostal groups in Ireland.
On a Sunday morning almost all
the seats in the large room are taken by more than 100 women, men and
children in colourful Sunday best, many in traditional Nigerian dress.
Pastor Timothy Segun Gbadebo
says: “We would love to have a nicer or better place, a purpose built
church” he says “but to be honest it’s a financial issue – a property
like this is cheaper for us to run.”
The
warehouses are viewed by migrant communities and religious groups as
temporary measures.
However, financial constraints mean most cannot
afford to buy land or develop purpose-built places.
Andrea Cristea
of the Dublin Intercity Faith Forum says that finding places of worship
can be very difficult for migrant groups.
“A consultation process is
needed to look at this issue. There are no regulations at the moment.
There are no policies. And there is very little support. It is a very
challenging area.”