A NYTimes story on the priest shortage in Ireland

Only 8 Roman Catholic clerical students are expected to be ordained in 2004 in all of Ireland, compared with 193 ordinations in 1990. The Diocese of Dublin, the largest in the country, has planned no ordinations for next year, and the Diocese of Limerick, a hardscrabble city on the banks of the Shannon River, is expected to ordain one man soon, and then wait years for its next priest.

With Ireland joining the ranks of the wealthy in Europe, interest in joining the priesthood or religious orders is at a low point. In 1970, 750 people were seeking to become priests, brothers and nuns. Last year, the number was 39. All but one seminary in Ireland have closed.