A chara, – I am disappointed that a letter by the chair of Atheist Ireland, Michael Nugent, appeared in these pages on April 9th. As the the census was due to be filled in the next day, Sunday, this effectively denied those who might wish to voice an opposing view the chance to do so. I would therefore like to encourage those who were tardy in completing their forms to be sure to put down their religious affiliation, no matter how loosely they may hold it.
As Mr Nugent points out, the census data will be used to allocate government resources and the services religious bodies provide may be lost to us in the future. This might suit Atheist Ireland’s agenda, but in an era of cutbacks, how likely is it that they will be replaced? Also, given the poor job being done by our Government in so many areas, do we we really want to put these vital services also in its hands? – Is mise,
Madam, – I am perplexed at Question 9 on the census form – to be answered if aged 1 or over and living in Ireland. “Have you lived outside of Ireland for a continuous period of one year or more? If ‘Yes’, write in year of last taking up residence in the Republic of Ireland”.
Did those responsible for drafting the form omit to put in the question “since 1949”? I returned from Scotland to Ireland (Dublin) in 1920, but not to the as-then non-yet existent Republic of Ireland.
To put the record straight, the lamp-post I hung out of to get a good view of Michael Collins’s funeral was on O’Connell Bridge, not O’Connell Street as reported in your paper last Saturday (“Census centenarian”, Front page, April 9th). – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I noticed when completing my census return, that there is no provision for a widower to enter the number of children in his family. On the other hand, this facility is available to a widow. Is this an error in the design of the form or is there a rationale behind it? If so could someone please enlighten me as to what that rationale might be? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Seanán Ó Coistin asks “If citizens of a republic are meant to be treated equally, why is it necessary to know the ethnicity and religious beliefs of the people?” (April 12th).
It is preciously this need of ensuring that all citizens of the State are being treated equally, that the questions of ethnicity and religious beliefs are and must be asked in the census.
It is a fact that the majority of Irish citizens were born here, are ethnically white and are Catholic. However, a significant proportion of the citizenry do not fall into these categories and it is the State’s obligation and duty to ensure that these people enjoy equal access to employment, education and housing (topics also covered in the census).
It would seem that Mr Ó Coistin considers the questions on ethnicity and religion as somehow abhorrent to equality and as an Orwellian intrusion into our private lives; and he goes so far as to call on the State to remove them from future censuses. Yet it is these very questions that are going to help provide the State with the information it needs to identify and tackle the real inequalities faced by thousands of citizens in Ireland today. – Yours, etc,