Education

30 June 2016

HEA to enforce Atheist Ireland chaplain recommendations across third level sector

Atheist Ireland is pleased to announce a successful outcome to our two year campaign to make the appointment procedure for third level college chaplains publicly accountable and open to lay people. We brought Freedom of Information data to the Minister for Education, who responded by...

9 June 2016

Diversity and Choice = Religious Discrimination and Segregation

Atheist Ireland yesterday made this Submission to the Consultation process, started by the new Minister for Education Richard Bruton, on his Statement of Strategy 2016- 2018. Introduction Atheist Ireland is an Irish advocacy group. We promote atheism and reason over superstition and supernaturalism, and we...

3 May 2016

UN to ask Ireland about secular education and blasphemy law, following lobbying by Atheist Ireland

The UN will ask Ireland next week about secular education and our blasphemy law, matching recommendations that Atheist Ireland successfully lobbied for in our meetings in Geneva last month. For the first time, Ireland will be specifically asked about replacing the school patronage system with...

11 April 2016

HEA Confirms Large Public Endowments to Catholic Church

At the request of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), the Higher Education Authority (HEA) has arranged a presentation from Atheist Ireland in relation to the probity of contracts awarded to the Roman Catholic Church by third level colleges. New information has been provided to...

23 March 2016

Catholic schools will not objectively teach new Religions, Beliefs and Ethics course

The Department of Education is planning a new primary school course of Education about Religions, Beliefs and Ethics. While this sounds good in theory, it will not be delivered objectively in practice. This is because the Irish State cedes control of the ethos of schools...

23 February 2016

Which Irish political parties have the most secular policies?

How do the political parties in this Friday’s General Election stand on separation of Church and State, with a particular focus on secular education and blasphemy? Atheist Ireland is not asking people to vote for any particular party or candidate. Atheists and secularists are typically...

18 February 2016

Irish Atheists, Evangelicals and Muslims unite for Secularism at Inter Belief Day

Jane Donnelly and Michael Nugent took part in a very positive Inter Belief Dialogue conference in Mary Immaculate College Limerick yesterday. There were representatives from the NCCA, which is currently preparing a State course for primary schools about religion, beliefs and ethics, as well as...

4 February 2016

New UN report issued today vindicates Atheist Ireland schools policy

Atheist Ireland welcomes the conclusions today from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child that Ireland should significantly increase the availability of non-denominational or multi-denominational schools, eliminate discrimination in school admissions including by amending the Equal Status Act, and ensure accessible options for...

13 January 2016

Atheist Ireland in Geneva this week at UN hearing on rights of the child

This Thursday, in Geneva, Atheist Ireland will be advocating for children in Irish schools, as the UN questions Ireland about its human rights record under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This is our sixth year raising religious discrimination in Ireland with the...

4 December 2015

New Equal Participation in Schools Bill from Socialist Party/AAA

The Socialist Party/AAA has submitted a new Equal Participation in Schools Bill, which incorporates proposals from Atheist Ireland and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission on bringing about schools equality. The new Bill will propose fundamental changes to three of the four areas of...