Well-Known Irish Atheists

I’m trying to find out about well-known Irish atheists, by which I mean that they are well-known for whatever they do, but may not be well-known to be atheists. So far I have come up with five – Gabriel Byrne, Roddy Doyle, Bob Geldof, Neil Jordan and Cillian Murphy. Does anybody know of any more?

Here are quotes from the above five about their atheism: >>>

Gabriel Byrne

In 2007 he said: ‘I spent five years in a seminary and I suppose it was assumed that you had a vocation. I have realised subsequently that I didn’t have one at all. I don’t believe in God. But I did believe at the time in this notion that you were being called.’

Roddy Doyle

In 2004, he welcomed the widening ‘rift between Church and state’, saying: ‘It has happened, it is happening, and for me that’s a great thing. As an atheist, I feel very comfortable in Ireland now.’

Bob Geldof

In 2006, when asked if he was a saint or a sinner, he replied: ‘Being an atheist, I can’t be either.’

Neil Jordan

In 1999, he said: ‘I was brought up a Catholic and was quite religious at one stage in my life, when I was young. But it left me with no scars whatever; it just sort of vanished… I always like to do stories about gods and monsters and imaginary beings of all kinds, because God is the greatest imaginary being of all time.’

Cillian Murphy

In 2007, he said: ‘Sunshine is a film that highlights the fragility of the planet and how briefly we are on it, but how much we contribute to its future. It got me thinking about life and religion, science versus religion, and all that. I was verging on being an agnostic and this film confirmed any of the atheistic beliefs I had.’