News

14 May 2021

Thomas Pringle TD calls for inclusive sex education not the Catholic Flourish course

Independent TD Thomas Pringle has called for age appropriate, inclusive, and diverse relationship and sex education in Irish schools. He says: “Get your rosaries off our ovaries.” How long has this slogan been around Ireland? From hospitals to schools and everywhere in between we have...

13 May 2021

Labour wants Citizens’ Assembly to resolve school ethos and sex education, says Ivana Bacik

The Labour Party has called for the Government to commit as a priority to convening a Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Education to examine a range of issues, including the relationship between Church and State after the publication of the new Catholic Church RSE...

13 May 2021

President Higgins says religious oath for President should go

The Irish Constitution requires the President to take a religious oath in order to take office. In a recent interview with BBC Radio Ulster the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins said that, in a new Ireland, “one should just affirm” (that is, make a...

9 May 2021

Secular Sunday #489 – Civil marriages and Catholic sex education

This week’s Secular Sunday. To avoid missing out, sign up here to receive Secular Sunday by email *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*   Editorial Civil marriages and Catholic sex education Last year civil marriages had overtaken Catholic marriages in Ireland for the first time ever. This news came as...

7 May 2021

Jennifer Carroll McNeill TD says sex education should be objective and fact-based

The new RSE programme for Catholic primary schools highlights the impact religion has on State education as a result of our current school patronage model, according to Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD of Fine Gael. Flourish, the relationships and sexuality education programme for junior infants to...

7 May 2021

Catholic Bishop asks if Church should stop trying to convert secular society. They could start with schools.

Atheist Ireland welcomes the Pastoral Reflection by the Bishop of Clonfert, Michael Duignan, about changes in the Catholic Church, which Patsy McGarry reports on in today’s Irish Times. Bishop Duignan says that in the past, the Church tried to “engage with and convert secular society”...

4 May 2021

Parents in Cork want objective sex education, not the Catholic Flourish course

A group of parents in Cork are organising to challenge the Catholic Bishops sex education course ‘Flourish’ in their children’s Primary schools. The Catholic Bishops plan to teach their new course alongside syllabus Social, Personal and Health education in schools. The parents say: “We’re a...

Photo of Leinster House
4 May 2021

Atheist Ireland asks Government to legislate for objective sex education

Atheist Ireland has written the following letter to all Government Ministers, TDs and Senators. Please contact your own TD or Senator and ask them to support legislation for objective sex education. Dear Minister, TD, Senator, The Programme for Government commits to make legislative changes, if...

2 May 2021

Secular Sunday #488 – The decline in Catholic marriages

This week’s Secular Sunday. To avoid missing out, sign up here to receive Secular Sunday by email *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*   *|MC:SUBJECT|* || *|DATE:j F, Y|* View in browser | Update preferences | Unsubscribe | Forward | Contact us Editorial The decline in Catholic marriages Last year,...

30 April 2021

Civil marriages overtake Catholic marriages for the first time

Census figures released today show yet again that Ireland is no longer a Catholic country. Our laws must catch up with this reality, and stop giving privilege to the Catholic Church. For the first time ever, in 2020, there were more Civil marriages than Catholic...