The Role of Spirituality in Irish Adult Education - How to Think and Teach Culturally Responsively

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Đào

The article examines why Irish adult educators should consider spirituality, religion, and culture as central forces shaping how adult learners make meaning. It distinguishes spirituality from religion by framing spirituality as an individual experience of the sacred, while religion is described as organized faith with creeds and community practices. It also explores overlaps between the two through identity formation and the tension between harms caused by institutions and their roles in guidance, refuge, and communal hope.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Spirituality and Religion in an Irish Context

The Role of Spirituality in Irish Adult Education in culturally responsive teaching elizabeth j tisdell, penn state university, harrisburg Introduction Spirituality, religion, and culture are complicated subjects. Indeed, they are fundamental socialising forces that affect how adult learners make meaning in the world. Adults bring these aspects of who they are with them to the learning environment, though often the spiritual/religious aspects of their development and learning story go unacknowledged by adult educators. But just as emotions clearly affect the learning process (Dirkx, 2006; McCormack, 2009), people’s spirituality can deeply influence their learning as adults. While there has been considerable discussion of the spiritual and religious dimensions of adult learning in North America (Dirkx, 1997; English and Gillen, 2000; English, 2007; Tisdell, 2003, 2007; Tolliver and Tisdell, 2006) and to some extent in England (Hunt, 2006; Jarvis and Walton, 1993), there’s been little direct discussion of such dimensions in Irish adult education. This is interesting, given the history of religious conflict in Ireland as well as Ireland’s increasing religious, spiritual, and cultural diversity due in part to the Celtic Tiger that has affected social inclusion issues in lifelong education efforts (Healy and Slowey, 2006). The new immigrants to Ireland, with their own unique religious and cultural histories (Fanning, 2007; Ryan and Fallon, 2005) have clearly affected the cultural landscape of Ireland. Thus, the purpose of this article is to examine why it is important for Irish adult educators to consider the spiritual, religious and cultural dimensions of adult learning, and to some extent, how to draw on it in practice. In so doing, I’ll draw on my former research dealing with the intersection of spirituality and culture among US adult educators, and my initial research efforts into religion and spirituality in an Irish adult education context, as well as my own recent experience of Ireland while on sabbatical as a US adult education professor. First, it is important to outline what is meant by spirituality and religion, and how it relates to the current Irish landscape. Spirituality and Religion in an Irish Context What is spirituality, and how is it different from religion? In general, spirituality focuses on an individual’s experience of what they consider sacred; as one participant in my study put it,“spirituality is a journey toward wholeness.” It is often connected to inspiration and transformation, in the sense of creating something new, often out of darkness, confusion or pain (London, 2007; Tolliver and Tisdell, 2006; Wuthnow, 1999). This is spirituality as an integration process that might engage one’s soul while drawing on metaphor, art, poetry, symbol (Dirkx, 2001 Hunt, 2006). Religion, by contrast, is more about an organized community of faith, with an official creed, and codes of regulatory behavior, that have been determined by those with power in that religious institution. There are clearly positive and negative aspects of religious institutions. On the plus side, religions provide guidance on how to live a spiritual life, and ways of facilitating personal experiences ofthe sacred (Marty, 2000). They also provide community rituals, music, symbols, prayers, and sacred stories that honor many of life’s transitions that serve as gateways to the sacred, that are also part of people’s spiritual and cultural history (Inglis, 2005) . These are the positive aspects of religion. But there are also negative aspects to institutional religions just as there are to any human institution. There is ample evidence the world over religious institutions have at times oppressed individuals or entire social groups. Women asa group, for example, have been treated as second-class citizens by many religions. Another current example is the cover up of the sexual abuse scandal of Catholic priests and religious in both the US

FAQs

How does the article define spirituality versus religion?

Spirituality is described as an individual’s experience of what they consider sacred, often linked to inspiration and transformation. Religion is presented as an organized community of faith with an official creed and regulatory codes, including rituals, symbols, and sacred stories.

Why does the article say Irish adult education has paid limited attention to these dimensions?

It notes that while spiritual and religious dimensions of adult learning have been discussed in North America and to some extent in England, there has been little direct discussion in Irish adult education. The article connects this gap to Ireland’s history of religious conflict and growing religious, spiritual, and cultural diversity.

What overlaps does the article identify between spirituality and religion in learners’ lives?

The article argues that overlap is common because most people are socialized in some religious tradition, which continues to shape their spirituality even if they no longer practice the religion. It also highlights identity connections, including emotional and political dimensions, and discusses the idea of being “spiritual but not religious.”

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Đào