The blasphemy exhibition in the Oonagh Young Gallery continues until Saturday 27 February, and is open from 12 to 6pm every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It’s a fascinating show, and well worth a visit.
This Wednesday at 7pm there is a special screening of Rocky Road to Dublin and The Making of Rocky Road to Dublin, which should be watched by anyone interested in secularism and censorship in Ireland.
One Comment
It’s not much of an exhibition. Like the whole blasphemy campaign it’s more of a hobby horse for faux protesters like Michael Nugent to get a lick of the limelight right alongside the good and the great. If the blasphemy law was designed to divert any possible reaction from atheists to the Ryan and Murphy reports it worked a treat.
Dermot Ahearn and the Papal nuncio are probably embarrassed at the way they overestimated how Irish heretics might seize on the opportunity to damage the Catholic Church when it was at its weakest point. Now the blasphemy law, so beloved of certain fashionably educated activist types, will lay gathering dust until such time they decide to use it a false concession in the future.
If it was designed as bait to provide a distraction it certainly got swallowed hook line and sinker. That’s what happens when an organisation is led by a self promoter whose main aim is to get a share of the limelight and bask in the reflected glory of associating with visiting stalwarts of the worldwide atheist movement.
No one asked questions.
Atheist Ireland along with the gutless artists community have been careful not to go raising a stink about the rape and torture of children and the countless broken victims still waiting for some sort of justice. That just doesn’t go down too well when you’re planning a career as the “atheist” dinner guest in polite society. You don’t want to come across as the mad protester. How courageous to challenge a law by posting blasphemous statements from other people many of them dead, not in the country or even fictitious.
I’m sorry to see the nasty government just refuses to arrest anyone for blasphemy. After going to all the trouble of pasting other people’s words all over a website the sneaky mandarins in Dáil Éireann just won’t take the bait. Why oh why are they not applying to the US government to have Mark Twain’s body exhumed and extradited to face charges here in Ireland. He’d be a really high profile target.
Hey I have a great idea for anyone who really wants to test the blasphemy law: Head down the the Mosque on the North Circular Road dressed as Mohammed and hand out leaflets of the Danish Cartoons.
That ought to do the trick.
Or dress up as the Virgin Mary with a new boob job and keep flashing Catholics as they leave Mass. You could have a sign offering safe sex because you’ll still be a virgin after.
Cowardly hypocrisy: it’s Ireland’s number one product.