Christian organisations have issued an appeal for people both across Ireland and who are part of the Irish diaspora to pray "for the healing of our land".
Interdenominational Divine Healing Ministries and its affiliated group, the Christian Irish Diaspora Association (CIDA), have established a website, ChristianIrish.com, as part of the initiative.
"Christians know that our Heavenly Father, Almighty God, hears and answers prayer," explained Don Howe, honorary vice-chair of Interdenominational Divine Healing Ministries and CIDA lead.
"Many passages of Scripture – for example, Psalm 139:4, 1 John 5:14-15 and 1 Peter 3:12 – show that this is true.
"So I'm asking – even prayerfully pleading – for people to join with us in praying for the healing of our land."
Mr Howe, referring to Jesus' command recorded in Matthew 28 to "go and make disciples of all nations...", said that the connectivity we enjoy through the internet and social media meant that, "We don't have to travel into all the world but can do it from the comfort of our own homes."
"It is a great opportunity for us to be an ambassador for Jesus," he added.
And pointing to Psalm 133 – "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity" – Mr Howe said that through the prayer initiative, "many thousands of people from Ireland and the Irish diaspora will be blessed in praying".
"We are encouraging the people of Ireland of all denominations, now dispersed all over the world, to pray with us for our land and its peoples," he said.
"Can you imagine how this great Emerald Isle will be a beacon to the nations as God answers the prayers of the saints?"
In the case of the Irish diaspora, added Mr Howe, "this means to connect with or gather the dispersed Christians from the island of Ireland".
"The hope is to encourage as many people as possible to pray: for Ireland; for the people living in Ireland and those who long to connect with Irish ancestral roots; and for Christian unity.
"Over 70 to 80 million people are in the Irish diaspora. Nearly half are in the USA, followed by Australia and Canada. Can you imagine if we could have Christians to join with us in praying for Ireland and their own land, what a difference this would make?"
More information and resources at christianirish.com
