Humanist Association of Ireland

 Ireland
Associate members
Contact: 
Ann James
Position: 
Secretary
IHEU database details
The following information comes from the IHEU member database
OrganizationHumanist Association of Ireland Ltd
Websitehttp://www.irish-humanists.org
Emailinfo@irish-humanists.org
Phone+ 353 879817861
Street AddressRose Cottage
Address 1Coach Road
Address 2Balrothey, Balbriggan
CityCo. Dublin
CountryIreland
Details: 
Aims and Objectives

The Humanist Association of Ireland (HAI), formerly the Association of Irish Humanists, exists to defend and promote humanist values, ethics and morals in Irish society. The Association seeks to promote understanding and respect for those principles which underpin modern democratic societies.

Monthly meetings

We meet on the first Sunday of every month in Mahaffy's pub, Dublin. We have occasional speakers. There's always lively discussion and friendly faces.

Humanist Ceremonies

Humanists world-wide have evolved secular ceremonies to mark the rites of passage through life, most importantly those of birth, marriage and death. Officiants can be provided by the HAI, or with our help, the ceremonies can be conducted by the people themselves. Humanist ceremonies give people the opportunity to express their feelings and deals in their own words.

History of the HAI

A Humanist group was originally formed in Ireland in 1967. Public lectures and discussions were held as well as joint meetings with the Northern Ireland Humanist group. The Association attracted members and sympathisers such as Hubert Butler, Kevin Healy, Justin Keating, Conor Cruise O'Brien, Owen Sheehy Skeffington, Jim Loughran and the late Bill Hyland.

The ten years of its existence were lively ones but its energies were eventually diverted into the campaign for birth control in the Republic. Dr Jim Loughran became the first Chairman of the Irish Family Planning Association, as did Kevin Healy subsequently. Dr Jim Loughran went on to be the moving force behind the McGee case which resulted in the judgement which began the process of liberalisation of the contraception ban. Bill Hyland, with his wife Aine, became the main motivator behind the Multi-Denominational school movement.

With increasing liberalisation came the re-founding of a humanist group in 1993 under the Presidency of the writer Dick Spicer, who had been a founder member of the Campaign to Separate Church & State in the mid-eighties.

The Association now has several hundred members, plays an active role in promoting the open society and articulates the atheist perspective of the non-religious community.