Secular Sunday #46 – Growing Strong

Welcome to this week’s Secular Sunday.

In this issue:

• News
• Upcoming Events

News

• Atheist Ireland held a strategy workshop in Dublin yesterday to develop and implement some of the ideas that were raised at our AGM. As a result, we’ve identified a number of areas for improvement and growth and have recruited some volunteers to help realise these. We’ll be focusing on such issues as increasing and diversifying our membership; better publicising our existence, aims and activities; and lobbying politicians. This is an ongoing project and we are always looking for more volunteers, so let us know if you’re interested in helping in any way.
• Our online presence has been steadily growing and our Facebook page now has more than 4,000 likes, a 60% increase since the start of 2012. Our Facebook group has more than 1,500 members. If you’re one of the 2,500 who likes the page but hasn’t joined the group, we encourage you to do so. There are usually some interesting discussions, and you will automatically receive an invitation to any events we host.
  We also have more than 3,500 followers on Twitter. Our YouTube channel has almost 1,800 subscribers and we have uploaded more than 150 videos, which have been viewed nearly 350,000 times. Our Kiva team has 26 members and has raised over US$2,400 in loans for entrepreneurs around the world.

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday 13 November, The Mercantile, Dame St., Dublin 2 (map)
  As part of Science Week, the Alchemist Café is a free event with a panel of experts offering differing perspectives on our current understanding of the brain and how it functions. Read more
• Thursday 15 November, Trinity Bar, Dublin Citi Hotel, Dame St., Dublin 2 (map)
  Atheists in the Pub. This Thursday is UNESCO World Philosophy Day and we’ll be discussing the philosophy of atheism with a focus on the recent article in the Irish Times and the subsequent letters. More details to follow soon.
• Monday 19 November, 8:30 pm, McSwiggans Bar and Restaurant, Woodquay, Galway (map)
  Galway Skeptics in the Pub #45 – Hurricane Rationality. Facebook event page
• Wednesday 21 November, 8:00 pm, Absolute Hotel, Sir Harry’s Mall, Limerick (map)
  The Mid West Humanists are meeting to talk about life as an atheist or humanist in a society with a religious-biased culture, and are continuing their plan to meet TDs in the region, once the Constitutional Convention begins and gets to the Blasphemy item. All are welcome.
• 24-27 November, Dublin, Cork, Galway and possibly Belfast
  Sanal Edamaruku will finally be making it to Ireland and will be touring the country with Atheist Ireland for a few days. Sanal will be speaking in Dublin on the afternoon of Saturday 24 November, in Cork the following afternoon, and in Galway the next evening. If his schedule permits, he may also be in Belfast on the Tuesday. We’re currently finalising the arrangements for these events and will have more details soon.

That’s all for this week. Help us grow by linking, sharing, forwarding or retweeting this or any of our other articles.

Derek Walsh
Editor, Secular Sunday
Atheist Ireland