Photographs circulating online which appear to show Islamic prayer mats and rugs hanging from the railings of a Catholic Church in Ireland. The images, which were widely shared on X, show what appear to be several prayer mats draped over the perimeter railings of the Catholic Church of the Assumption, in Tullamore, County Offaly. Local residents claimed the practice had continued for several weeks despite repeated requests for the items, common in the Islamic faith, to be removed. David Mullins, a Leinster House staff member who spoke to local residents, said church goers initially hoped the issue would resolve itself without confrontation, and questioned whether it was an issue of social dominance.
"Despite repeated requests from locals over a number of weeks, the Muslim residents living nearby have refused to stop hanging their prayer mats and rugs from the Church's railings. Residents and church goers put up with it for a while, hoping it would resolve," Mullins wrote on X. "Polite attempts were made to see if they would remove them. No change." The posts quickly attracted significant attention online, with some users describing the photographs as disrespectful to the church and questioning why the items had not been removed sooner.
Shaykh Dr. Umar Al-Qadri, Chairperson of the Irish Muslim Peace & Integration Council, furiously denied the allegations surrounding the incident, instead alleging Islamophobia, prompting dozens of replies from users who accused him of dismissing local concerns.
"The original poster already confirmed the images came from a trustworthy source, who also confirmed this wasn't a once-off event," one X user replied. "And who made you judge, jury and executioner of what information gets circulated about a disgusting act of religious intimidation?"
Conservative commentator Michael O'Keefe questioned why, if the mats had remained in place for an extended period, nobody had removed them. The row comes amid broader debate over the treatment of Catholic churches in Ireland. Earlier this month, the Mail on Sunday and Catholic Arena reported how Dublin City Council instructed clergy at Westland Row Church to stop displaying Mass times and parish notices on the church's front railings, a practice that had existed for decades. The decision drew criticism from several Dublin City councillors, with church representatives reportedly seeking legal advice over the directive.
One widely shared post said: "They're telling you that this & other churches will be converted into Mosques within a decade at most. They're saying your time is up, your goose is cooked, the future is set in stone — literally — and its name is Islam. The Irish need to wake up fast — England is already lost."
The parish's review of the matter is ongoing.
