Sir, – I am writing with regard to “Unauthorised humanist weddings damaging graves at historic abbey in Co Clare” (News, October 16th) and I wish to set out the position of the Humanist Association of Ireland (HAI). The HAI follows the General Register Office’s guidance on permissible locations for legal weddings. This means that all legal humanist wedding ceremonies must take place in a venue with a postal address, which is open to the public, and one at which staff are on duty on the date of the ceremony. Any outdoor venue must be adjacent to a legally compliant venue. Corcomroe Abbey would not comply with these legal requirements, and the HAI has no record of any HAI wedding ceremonies having taken place in this venue.
The HAI is aware of some celebrants from other bodies who claim to carry out humanist ceremonies. However, the HAI is the only body approved by the General Register Office to legally solemnise humanist marriages in Ireland. The article may therefore incorrectly lead people to believe that Humanist Association of Ireland celebrants are involved in ceremonies which are potentially causing damage to a sensitive national site. The HAI wishes to clarify that this is not the case and wishes to distance itself from any such behaviour. – Yours, etc,
JILLIAN BRENNAN,
CEO,
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Humanist Association of Ireland,
Dún Laoghaire
Co Dublin.