Article 44.2.4 of the Constitution protects the right of students to attend a school receiving public funds without attending religious instruction. It unambiguously states: “Legislation providing State aid for schools shall not discriminate between schools under the management of different religious denominations, nor be such...
Since December 2021, Atheist Ireland has been lobbying to vindicate the constitutional right to not attend religious instruction in schools, and to uphold parental authority in the education of their children, which the Supreme Court has described as a foundational pillar of the Constitution. As...
The Irish Times reported yesterday that Humanist celebrants have secured a temporary High Court injunction against the Humanist Association of Ireland. The injunction is to stop the Humanist Association from taking fitness-to-practice proceedings against the Humanist celebrants because the celebrants won’t hand over information on...
Atheist Ireland has made the following submission to the NCCA Consultation on the redevelopment of Senior Cycle SPHE. 1. Overview 2. Why legal change is needed 3. Constitutional rights of parents 4. Legal route to course being taught through religious ethos 5. Catholic Church Guidelines...
Fergus Finlay has moved the goalposts in his response to our article about religious orders. He was originally talking about the right of religious orders to exist. Now he has shifted to talking about the legal consequences for individual people who break the law. We...
In a recent article in the Irish Examiner, Fergus Finley asks “Why do we still allow religious orders to exist?” He was responding to the latest revelations of clerical sex abuse in Irish schools, this time by the Spiritans who run Blackrock College, and the...
If you want to do something about the influence that the Catholic Church has in Ireland, you can. You can ask your local TD to fulfil their duty to protect the right of students to not attend religious instruction in publicly funded schools. This right...
The Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 fails to define what “hatred” means. It says: 2. (1) In this Act— “hatred” means hatred against a person or a group of persons in the State or elsewhere on account of...
Atheist Ireland is asking TDs to amend the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 as follows: Please amend the above Bill to: (a) give equal protection to people with religious beliefs, and people with positive nonreligious philosophical convictions including...
Atheist Ireland strongly disagrees with the harmful Catholic beliefs expressed by Fr Sean Sheehy in his homily last week in Listowel. We also support his right to preach such harmful Catholic beliefs to people who attend Catholic Mass. Bishop Ray Browne of Kerry has apologised...
