Only 14 men begin training as priests

There has been a dramatic drop in the number of men training to be priests in Ireland.

The Irish Catholic has published results of a survey of Ireland's seminaries, which found that just 14 men entered this year.

The newspaper says the number of men beginning priestly studies in England and Wales is four times higher - despite the fact there are less Catholics there than in Ireland.

The paper says if the figures remain low, many Irish parishes will be left without a priest for the first time. 14 men entering seminaries this year is just slightly above the worst-ever year for vocations in 2012, when 12 men entered.