What does the Ireland report establish about raising children?
For raising children in Ireland, Rage 2 Rebuild selects “Curriculum” from Humanists International’s chapter dated 17 September 2020. It describes national institutions or published conditions, not family reactions, emotions or access to an individual service. Check current facts before acting.
Country chapter updated 17 September 2020 · retrieved September 5, 2026. This chapter is more than two years old. Its assessments are not confirmation of current law or a prediction about your circumstances.
Curriculum
Parents have a constitutional right to exempt their children from religious instruction in schools, but such parents are routinely asked to supervise them personally during school hours because schools will not do so. Some schools are run directly by State Education & Training Boards. In 2018 the Department of Education instructed these schools to give an alternative timetabled subject to students who opt out of religion class. However, after lobbying from the ETBs, the Catholic Church, and Teachers Unions, the Department effectively reversed that instruction.
Multi-belief alliance for secular schools
There are four related areas in which Irish schools infringe on the human rights of atheists, humanists, and minority faith members. They are outlined in the Schools Equality PACT, an acronym for Patronage, Access, Curriculum, and Teaching.
Education and children’s rights
The Catholic Church has dominated education in Ireland since British reforms in the 1830s. This dominance was expanded after independence. Currently, despite the church’s decline in influence within the country as a whole, it still controls most state-funded public schools. This results in infringements of the human rights of atheists, humanists, and members of minority faiths.
Report extracts and assessment data are reused/adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Humanists International does not endorse Elder X. Original reflection guidance is identified separately below.
Which Ireland findings should I check before acting?
Rage 2 Rebuild highlights 4 published findings for raising children in Ireland. Our selection connects the 17 September 2020 chapter with school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions. Each quote is separate from our practical question. It identifies something to investigate, not a conclusion about your household.
There is state funding of at least some religious schools
The source finding concerns education or children. National arrangements and the policy of one school are not interchangeable.
A question to verify: What does the named school currently require, what alternative exists, and who is responsible for the decision?
Religious schools have powers to discriminate in admissions or employment
The source finding concerns education or children. National arrangements and the policy of one school are not interchangeable.
A question to verify: What does the named school currently require, what alternative exists, and who is responsible for the decision?
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
The source finding concerns education or children. National arrangements and the policy of one school are not interchangeable.
A question to verify: What does the named school currently require, what alternative exists, and who is responsible for the decision?
Religious groups control some public or social services
The report describes social or institutional pressure. That context matters, but it cannot predict the response of one family or community.
A question to verify: Who would learn about the decision, and what essential support could change if that happened?
How can I support children while my beliefs change?
For raising children in Ireland, Rage 2 Rebuild suggests this decision: Choose one child-related decision and identify whose rights, duties and preferences matter. The two starting points below address school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions. Check consequential facts with appropriate current help; these are reflection prompts, not a certified procedure.
Make questions welcome without recruiting the child
A child can ask why people believe different things without being asked to choose a side between adults. Use language appropriate to their age and understanding. You can say that you are still learning and that people in the family may answer differently.
Investigate the actual school arrangement
Ask about religious instruction, worship, ceremonies, alternatives, notice to parents and any opt-out process at the particular school. A national policy and a classroom practice can differ. Keep a copy of a published policy only where doing so is appropriate for your circumstances.
Read the full general guide for this decision →
Start with your own question →What would help with raising children?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s Ireland reflection tool offers three starting points for raising children. Choose a situation to see a practical question and a country finding to check. Your choice stays in page memory; it is not sent, stored as a plan or used to diagnose you. You can clear it or read without answering.
You can use the guide without choosing an option.
How did religious identity change in Ireland?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s Ireland table shows 6.1% religiously unaffiliated in 2010 and 15.6% in 2020, using Pew’s all-age population estimates. The seven categories describe religious identity, not how many individuals left religion or experienced harm. Rounded population changes cannot predict acceptance, guilt, safety or a support outcome.
| Identity | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian | 91.9% | 81.2% | -10.7 pp |
| Muslim | 1.1% | 1.7% | +0.6 pp |
| Religiously unaffiliated | 6.1% | 15.6% | +9.5 pp |
| Buddhist | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.0 pp |
| Hindu | 0.2% | 0.7% | +0.5 pp |
| Jewish | Less than 0.1% | Less than 0.1% | Not calculated |
| Other religions | 0.4% | 0.5% | +0.1 pp |
“Other religions” combines traditions that cannot be analyzed separately here. A “less than” input stays an inequality; a change involving it is not calculated. Rounding and demographic processes matter. Nationality does not establish anyone’s beliefs.
Pew’s original Ireland table, PDF page 10 ↗ · Methods and downloadable calculations
What kind of support does Rage 2 Rebuild offer in Ireland?
Rage 2 Rebuild offers non-urgent personal conversation about raising children in Ireland. There is no payment to send a message and no guaranteed response time. This is remote contact with Elder X, not therapy, legal advice, emergency help or a verified local referral. Choose qualified support when the decision requires it.
For consequential questions involving law, safety, children, health or institutional records, seek the appropriate qualified source and ask about privacy before sharing identifying details. For general stress skills, the World Health Organization’s Doing What Matters guide is an external educational resource; it is not a study of people using this site or proof of a particular recovery result.
What else should I know about raising children in Ireland?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s six answers about raising children in Ireland address school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions. The 17 September 2020 chapter’s “Curriculum” passage provides country background. Use these questions to distinguish your next decision, that source’s limits, religious-identity figures and remote contact.
How can I support children while my beliefs change in Ireland?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s starting point for raising children in Ireland is: Choose one child-related decision and identify whose rights, duties and preferences matter. Separate school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions before choosing an action. The country report provides dated context; it does not settle the personal choice. If essential needs or legal consequences are involved, verify the actual situation with appropriate current help.
What does the country report establish about raising children in Ireland?
Rage 2 Rebuild uses “Curriculum” in Humanists International’s Ireland chapter, updated 17 September 2020, to identify a relevant institutional question. The report flags “There is state funding of at least some religious schools.” That is dated country context, not a finding about family reactions, emotions or access to an individual service. Check the original passage and current facts before applying it.
Can I infer a school’s policy from the country rating?
No. The rating is a published national assessment and may summarize varied arrangements. Ask the school or responsible authority about its current policy and available alternatives. Rage 2 Rebuild’s Ireland guide addresses school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions; the dated country findings provide context for that distinction, not a prediction about your circumstances.
Should children be told religion is always harmful?
This site does not recommend replacing one compulsory conclusion with another. Children can learn to ask questions, consider evidence and respect people while discussing specific harmful behavior honestly. Rage 2 Rebuild’s Ireland guide addresses school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions; the dated country findings provide context for that distinction, not a prediction about your circumstances.
What do the religious-identity figures for Ireland establish?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s Ireland table shows 6.1% religiously unaffiliated in 2010 and 15.6% in 2020, using Pew’s all-age population estimates. The seven categories describe religious identity, not how many individuals left religion or experienced harm. Rounded population changes cannot predict acceptance, guilt, safety or a support outcome.
Does Rage 2 Rebuild provide local or emergency support in Ireland?
Rage 2 Rebuild offers remote, non-urgent personal conversation about raising children. No local office, clinician or verified referral network in Ireland is claimed. There is no payment to send a message and no guaranteed reply time. For immediate danger, use appropriate emergency help where you are rather than this form.