The Catholic Church in Co Tipperary is about to bring God into the most famous of Irish institutions - the pub. People attending a week-long mission in Nenagh, starting on Saturday are being invited by the church to events in two local pubs where they will have the opportunity to talk about their faith and attitudes to religion.
Priests in Nenagh are billing the events as the "Wine and Whine" sessions. They are joining parishioners over a drink to talk about God, faith, sin, life, death, religion or anything else of concern.
"It's going to be a listening exercise for all of us," said local curate Fr Willie Teehan. "It's an informal opportunity for people to air some of their concerns. We want to hear how they feel and think about different issues in the church. It's a reaching out in a different way."
He added: "The Irish pub is part of Irish culture. It is a level playing pitch and our view on it is that it is better to light a candle than curse the dark." The first "Wine and Whine" event will be held in Una Powell's pub on Monday night and the second will be in the Dapp Inn on Wednesday night. Both events start at 10pm.
The mission, entitled "Springtime in Nenagh - A Call to Growth and New Life", will be led by a team of religious who are all based in Edinburgh, Fr Ed Hone, Fr Michael Hennessy and Sr Mary Timmons.
The parish council said the mission offers an opportunity for spiritual renewal. "It represents a chance for our whole community to take stock of where we are, and look forward with hope to where we would like to be: a chance for growth and new life."