Atheist Ireland | Secularism Archives

22/09/2018 No Comments Atheist Ireland

What we must do to separate church and state – speech by Jane Donnelly in Waterford

Jane Donnelly, Human Rights Officer of Atheist Ireland, made the following speech today at the Be The Change conference in Waterford, organised by Waterford People Before Profit, on Saturday 22 September 2018. Ireland is becoming more secular, because the developed world is becoming more secular. Around the world, as people ...

26/08/2018 No Comments Atheist Ireland

As Pope Francis visits Dublin, Jane Donnelly calls for secular schools at People Before Profit public meeting

While Pope Francis was speaking in Croke Park in Dublin, Jane Donnelly of Atheist Ireland was making the case for a secular education system free from Catholic Church influence. Jane was speaking at a public meeting convened by People Before Profit, about Separation of Church and State. Here is the ...

19/08/2018 6 Comments Atheist Ireland

Seven reasons to protest Pope Francis

Six years ago, Atheist Ireland joined LGBT Noise in a small protest outside the Catholic Church’s Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, against the ongoing efforts by the Vatican to oppose equal civil rights for LGBT people. A lot has changed since then. This week Atheist Ireland will join a much larger ...

04/08/2018 1 Comment Atheist Ireland

Yet again, a Presidential election that excludes conscientious atheists

Yet again Ireland is to hold a Presidential election that excludes conscientious atheists as candidates, as in order to take office we would have to swear a religious oath that is in our Constitution. This would force us to dissemble about our beliefs, and breaches our human right to freedom ...

18/07/2018 Atheist Ireland

Atheist Ireland to meet Department of Justice today to discuss new blasphemy repeal bill

Atheist Ireland welcomes the published wording of the proposed amendment of the Constitution on around 25 October to repeal the offence of blasphemy. Atheist Ireland will be meeting this afternoon with officials in the Department of Justice, to clarify any technical or logistical questions that we have. We will then ...

27/05/2018 Atheist Ireland

Abortion vote sees fall of Ireland’s Catholic Berlin Wall

This referendum sees the fall of the Catholic Berlin Wall that has kept a pluralist Irish people trapped within the laws of a Catholic Irish Constitution. Pregnant Irish women will now have the same right, to equality before the law, that gay couples have had since the marriage equality vote ...

19/03/2018 John Hamill

Advertisements for Catholic Mass removed after request for Full Moon Ceremony

Third level colleges across the country are continuing to deal with the outcome of a successful Atheist Ireland campaign with respect to their State-funded chaplaincies. That campaign resulted in a report being issued by the Higher Education Authority, which required all chaplaincies funded by public monies in third level colleges, to ...

19/02/2018 Atheist Ireland

New directive on religious instruction will change the culture of ETB schools

Atheist Ireland welcomes the Department of Education’s new directive on religious instruction in second-level ETB schools. It is the most significant recognition of the constitutional and human rights of atheist, minority faith, and secular families in Irish schools since Atheist Ireland was founded. These rights have always existed, and now ...

11/02/2018 Atheist Ireland

Religious discrimination against women in Ireland – Jane Donnelly in La Raison magazine

Atheist Ireland works internationally, as members of Atheist Alliance International and the International Humanist and Ethical Union. We also work directly with atheist and secular groups in other countries, to share information and to help each other to achieve separation of church and state. The February 2018 edition of La ...

31/01/2018 Atheist Ireland

Minister for Education to review ETB schools paying Catholic Church to train students to evangelise

The Minister for Education has told Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger that he will review the practice of ETB schools paying the Roman Catholic Church to train students in faith leadership. Last month Atheist Ireland revealed details of these controversial courses, that train some students to evangelise others, through our freedom ...