Jane Donnelly and I, representing Atheist Ireland, briefed the UN Human Rights Committee this week in Geneva about religious discrimination in Ireland, particularly in the education system. The issues we raised in our briefing were directly reflected in many of the UN’s questions to the Irish State delegation, led by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald. Atheist […]
On Monday in Geneva, Switzerland, Atheist Ireland will brief the United Nations Human Rights Committee about Ireland’s failure to keep its obligations under an important human rights treaty: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Liberties. On Monday and Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Committee will be quizzing the Irish State delegation, led by Justice […]
The Irish Independent has reported by far the most serious development in the Garth Brooks concert issue. A citizen has now withdrawn an application to take a High Court case, and he says that he has withdrawn the case after threats were made on his life and his family’s lives. He told the Lord Mayor […]
It seems that the Taoiseach has deemed his role to include publicly undermining the planning laws by assisting some businesspeople who are dissatisfied with the impartial and lawful decisions of Dublin City Council. And the Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar is bizarrely reported to be prepared to travel to the United States of America if […]
Update: Garth Brooks was at first happy to do two concerts in Dublin, he was then given permission to do three instead of five, and now he has decided to do none. His decision to cancel the three concerts that he was given permission for is a matter between him, Aiken Promotions, the GAA, and […]
I debated Dr Robert Grant of TCD Philosophy Department today for a second time, this time on BBC Radio Ulster’s Sunday Sequence, presented by William Crawley. Robert had written an article in the Irish Times titled: “New Atheists … ‘shallow’, ‘naive’, ‘dangerous’.” Here is our debate on BBC Radio Ulster. Here is our previous debate […]
Leeds United’s new Roman Catholic owner, Massimo Cellino, has reportedly dropped goalkeeper Paddy Kenny because Kenny was born on 17th May. Cellino thinks 17 is an unlucky number because his previous club, Cagliari, only won once in twenty years when playing on the 17th of a month. Cellino also hates the colour purple because he […]
I had a very interesting discussion this week with Leah Libresco, who in 2012 converted from being an atheist blogger at Unequally Yoked to being a Roman Catholic. We discussed her atheism, her conversion and her Catholicism. Here’s the video, in three parts.
I debated Dr Robert Grant of TCD Philosophy Department today on Newstalk Radio’s The Right Hook, presented by George Hook. Robert had written an article in this morning’s Irish Times titled: “New Atheists … ‘shallow’, ‘naive’, ‘dangerous’.” Here is our debate.
The petition to the United Nations against blasphemy laws, organised by the campaign for Human Rights For Atheists, Agnostics and Secularists, is now only six hundred signatures short of the ten thousand signatures that will trigger it being sent to the United Nations. Please sign the petition here today. Please also share this request to […]