Atheist Ireland

Atheist Ireland

3 November 2025

UN conclusions on religious discrimination in Irish schools

Atheist Ireland uses our special consultative status at the UN to highlight religious discrimination in Irish schools, and to counter inaccurate responses by the Irish state to UN human rights committees. Here are UN human rights recommendations to Ireland based on these sessions. Questions from...

3 November 2025

Council of Europe conclusions on religious discrimination in Irish schools

As well as using our special consultative status at the UN, Atheist Ireland highlights with the Council of Europe the issue of religious discrimination in Irish schools. Here are Council of Europe human rights recommendations to Ireland. Council of Europe Protection of National Minorities 2006,...

14 October 2025

Religious Trauma and Your Brain – Dr Darrel Ray’s talk in Dublin

Religious trauma and your brain – why is it so difficult for many people to discard harmful religious beliefs? Atheist Ireland hosted Dr Darrel Ray, psychologist and president of Recovering from Religion, to give this talk at Buswells Hotel, Dublin. The Talk: Religious Trauma and...

2 September 2025

Back to school and back to another €10 million for Catholic Chaplains in ETB schools

The State still funds Catholic chaplains in ETB schools and colleges with over €10 million a year to assist Catholic parents with the faith formation of their children. That sits uneasily with how ETBs are marketed as the alternative to denominational schools. What the law...

23 August 2025

Religious Trauma and Your Brain – Talk and Q&A with Dr Darrel Ray on Sat 27th Sept

Why is it so difficult for many people to discard harmful religious beliefs? Dr Darrel Ray, psychologist and president of Recovering from Religion, will discuss this in Buswells Hotel on Saturday 27 September at 3pm. Admission is free. The Talk: Religious Trauma and Your Brain...

17 July 2025

Only three in ten Irish now say they are religious

Of every ten Irish people, only one now says they are religious only, three say spiritual only, and another two say they are both. Another three say they are neither, and one doesn’t know. That’s from a recent survey by Amárach for the Iona Institute....

19 June 2025

How Irish schools do not respect freedom of conscience, religion, and belief

Atheist Ireland has sent the following submission to the Oireachtas Education Committee on the need for freedom of conscience, religion, and belief in Irish schools Executive Summary This submission addresses the right to freedom of conscience, religion, and belief in the Irish education system. It...

20 May 2025

When is a non-religious body a religion? When the Irish state says so.

The recent marriage figures that Atheist Ireland obtained from the CSO show that there is a major cultural shift in Irish marriages. One group with a significant increase is those who have spiritualist ceremonies. Spiritualist marriages are defined legally as religious marriages. They are counted...

19 May 2025

Massive culture shift in Irish marriages

Recent years have seen a massive culture shift in Irish marriages. And the pace of three major trends is increasing: Secular marriages up, Christian marriages down, and Spiritualist marriages up. This is yet more evidence that Ireland is no longer a Christian country. These trends...

9 May 2025

Oireachtas must oversee Constitutional condition for state aid to schools re religious instruction

Atheist Ireland has made the following submission to the newly established Oireachtas Committee on Public Accounts. Oversight of the Constitutional Condition for State Aid to Schools 1. Summary 2. The Constitutional Condition for State Aid 3. Legislative Responsibility under Article 15 4. Absence of Statutory...