WELCOME TO THE IFH OFFICIAL WEBSITE

IRISH FREETHINKER MEETINGS
Holiday Inn Express, University St, Belfast, 8pm
12th March: Dr CONNOR BAMFORD (QUB):
Anatomy of a Pandemic
Connor gave an informative and interesting talk on the coronavirus

See Connor's article in The Independent
14th May: Bumper Graham:
Conservation of Elephants and Other Animals

IRISH FREETHINKER
January-February 2020

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March-April 2020

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BOOK AND FILM SPECIAL

Beethoven 250
The 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth is later this year (he was baptised on 17th December 1770 – he was probably born the day before).
Read about:
Beethoven's Best
Beethoven's Symphonies

Is Trump a Christian?
Has Donald Trump really read the Bible? He does not appear to be at all Christian and certainly not humanist. Why, then, did 80% of white evangelical Christians vote for him? Read more>>>

Trump and the
Middle East

Whose Jerusalem?>>>

The Trump 'Deal' for Palestine>>>

Thurs:10th Oct: Wave and the Legacy:

Alan McBride, speaker, centre, and some of the audience at the above meeting
SUMMER CONFERENCE 2019

The 2019 Summer Conference, organised by the Irish Freethinkers and Humanists and the Humanist Association of Ireland, was held on 7th and 8th September in the Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
The theme was Humanism and the New Ireland

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HEADING OH, OH, HEAVENWARDS

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Thursday 14th February
Speaker Brian Pelan, centre front, who talked inter alia about the View magazine,
http://viewdigital.org
and some of the audience (photo: Bertie McCullough)

IFH DECEMBER MEETING: TROUBLE SONGS

Speaker Stuart Bailie gave a fascinating talk on 13th December about his new book ‘Trouble Songs: Music and Conflict in Northern Ireland’. Trouble Songs involves over 60 interviews and conversations with the likes of Bono, Christy Moore, the Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers, Orbital, Kevin Rowland, Terri Hooley, the Rubberbandits, Dolores O’Riordan and the Miami Showband survivors. It’s an account of how music has been a persuader, agitator and peacemaker.

Stephen Hawking, 1942-2018

An inspiration to us all

The Myth of Grammar Schools

Value Life Above the Foetus

BREXIT: A THREAT TO LIBERAL HUMANISM

Liberal Humanism has been the dominant ideology of Europe since 1945. Brexit has dealt it a savage blow.
Read more>>>

SON OF SAUL

One of the best films of 2016 and indeed the decade. A bleak film, yes, but it offers a crack of light in an abyss of darkness. It is nothing less than a cinematic tour de force Read more>>>

I, DANIEL BLAKE
Another of 2016's best films: a man has a heart attack and is pronounced unfit for work by his doctor and then descends into the misery of the government’s Social Services.
Shelley Leggett's Review

CHRISTIAN DECLINE
Study reveals that people of no religion (48.5%) outnumber Christians (43.8%) in England and Wales. Although Northern Ireland is more religious, the trend is in the same direction.
Decline will be beneficial

Andy Barr: The Rich are Coining It	Eamon Murphy: TTIP: Post-Democracy	Andy Barr: Axe the British Monarchy
Brian McClinton: Radio Ulster should be less downmarket	Andy Barr: Does Islamic Fundamentalism threaten Peace?	Martin O'Reilly: Is It Moral for Humans to Use and Kill Animals?

News and Analysis

LATEST NEWS

2020s CHALLENGES FOR HUMANISM
Date Posted: 2020-02-27
The Humanist Challenge to Current Inhumane Ideas

IRISH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH RETREATS TO THE DARK AGES
Date Posted: 2019-11-21
The Church's dismissal of Steven Smyrl as an elder shows that the DUP are not the only dinosaurs in Northern Ireland's jurassic park

A NEW IRELAND
Date Posted: 2019-11-21
Nationalists and Republicans have a responsibility in framing the discourse and debate of the benefits of a New Ireland which will be inclusive to all.

PUTIN'S ATTACK ON LIBERALISM
Date Posted: 2019-07-01
Putin's malicious travesty of liberalism should be seen for what it is

PUBLIC DEBATE IS A BEAR PIT
Date Posted: 2019-06-14
Public debates may entertain but they rarely educate

GLOBALISM IS BETTER THAN NATIONALISM
Date Posted: 2018-09-26
At the UN President Trump has advised nations to reject globalism and embrace patriotism. But nationalism has no answer to the world's major threats: nuclear war, environmental degradation and malign technology. On the contrary, it is a major threat to humanity in all these areas.

A CITIZEN'S ASSEMBLY FOR NORTHERN IRELAND?
Date Posted: 2018-03-03
If true, this is good news. All strong democracies recognise that citizens and civic associations should have an active role in politics

BASIC INCOME: AN OLD IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME
Date Posted: 2016-12-25
Eamon Murphy argues that a universal basic income (UBI) has many advantages in the modern age. The idea is gaining momentum, with pilot projects in Finland and in the Netherlands currently in progress.

RELIGION IN SCHOOLS
Date Posted: 2016-11-01
Read notes for a discussion on Radio Ulster's Sunday Sequence (16th October) on religion in Faith Schools, in which the Religion, Philosophy and Ethics model is recommended as a replacement for RE.