According to an article in the Sunday independent today, a religion teacher in the Ursuline secondary school in Tipperary played an anti-abortion and unscientific video to students. This is relevant to an issue that Atheist Ireland wrote about three years ago, when we sought information under the Freedom of Information ...
It is disgraceful that the Irish Government is arguing at the European Court of Human Rights that the religious oath for President and members of the Council of State are “necessary in a democratic society.” The Government is contesting a legal challenge to the religious oath by Roisin Shortall TD, John ...
Obviously there should have been a transparent procedure to select Ireland’s Special Envoy to the UN on Freedom of Expression. But a more important issue is what does the job consist of, and why was the position created? A Government spokesman said that the Special Envoy would “focus on freedom ...
This week sees the publication of the 500th edition of weekly newsletter Secular Sunday. To mark the occasion, here are some extracts from editions number 1, 100, 200, 300, and 400. We’re halfway to edition 1000, which will be published to celebrate the achievement of a secular state in 2031! ...
Atheist Ireland has sent the following Letter and Briefing Document for TDs and Senators regarding the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019 and the Constitutional right to ‘not attend’ religious instruction in publicly-funded schools Dear TD/Senator, The Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019 is making its way through ...
Atheist Ireland made a submission this week to the Department of Equality's Independent Anti-Racism Committee. You can read that submission in full at this link. Below is the overview and contents sections of the submission. Introduction to the submission As atheists, we empathise with members of other groups who face prejudice ...
Debutante, a short film about religious control and coming-of-age in a hostile environment, will have its online premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh on 24th July. Atheist Ireland are official partners of the film by Kamila Dydyna, a Polish filmmaker based in Dublin. In Debutante, Meg’s simple life revolves around ...
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has released its report about the RTE comedy sketch on New Year’s Eve, in which the police arrest the Christian god for sexual harassment against Mary, and the courts find him guilty but release him. The BAI Committee found that the sketch breached three principles ...
Our politicians are now wrestling with the issues around the National Maternity Hospital and the Sisters of Charity. Those issues are not just about access to reproductive healthcare, but also about the right to freedom of conscience. Those who seek a National Maternity Hospital free from religious influence do so ...
In a democratic republic, the State should own and directly run the national maternity hospital. It should not cede control over this essential public service to any private body, never mind to a charity associated with the Catholic church, which has an appalling record of human rights abuses and an ...