In two weeks time, Atheist Ireland will become the first atheist advocacy group to address the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva as members of Atheist Alliance International. The Council will be concluding its second Universal Periodic Review of Ireland’s human rights record on...
Atheist Ireland has given a written statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council as part of the final session of the Universal Periodic Review of Ireland. The Thirty Third session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) will take place from 13th – 30th of...
Atheist Ireland has consistently opposed the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act, 2014. This legislation was introduced by Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton, in order to allow both religious and secular bodies to solemnise civil marriages. However, as reported in the Irish Times today, it discriminates...
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...
This week saw two significant developments that will affect Atheist Ireland’s work in the coming years: the new Programme for Government, and the UN questioning of Ireland’s human rights record under the Universal Periodic Review process. Atheist Ireland will continue to promote an ethical, secular...
Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have now published their arrangement for Fianna Fail supporting a Fine Gael led minority government. This arrangement does not mention human rights breaches such as religious discrimination in the education system and the need for secular schools, the blasphemy law,...
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...
The Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2012, was introduced by Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton. This Act allows both religious and secular bodies to solemnise civil marriages. Atheist Ireland has consistently opposed this legislation as it discriminates against non-religious citizens, while providing religious bodies with...
In a parallel to the ongoing pattern of regressive groups ‘disinviting’ and ‘no-platforming’ speakers with whom they disagree, the Dublin Anarchist Bookfair has unilaterally broken an agreement with Atheist Ireland that we would host an information stall at their event last weekend. They thus prevented...
Atheist Ireland complies with the various pieces of legislation that regulate the funding and payment for political campaigning in Ireland. Unlike some other groups with secular or religious political aims, we are all volunteers, but we have managed to ensure that our funding and donations...