In Depth:  Lois McCrea

letter from Dublin

Lois McCrea

Evangelical churches in the Republic of Ireland are seeking guidance relating to online services following a case where a church in the Irish midlands was sued due to the content of their live-stream.

The pastors of an evangelical church in Co. Offaly were ordered to pay €14,400 (approximately £12,574) to a father following a defamation action where his teenage daughter spoke about him during her baptismal service. The baptismal service was live-streamed on the church Facebook page, although the link was later removed by the church.

letter from Dublin

Lois McCrea

The housing crisis in the Republic of Ireland is worsening. There are currently 15,378 people (including 4,653 children) living in emergency homeless accommodation, which is the highest number on record. There are also many people unaccounted for in the homeless figures including single men sleeping rough, who are often the last group prioritised for emergency accommodation. Christian charities and food banks are doing phenomenal work across the country, especially in the main cities.

For those in a position to buy a house, the number of homes available for sale is at a record low and the shortage of properties available to buy, and also to rent, means that those who are able to secure a property have high mortgage repayments or are paying large amounts in rent.

letter from Dublin

Lois McCrea

Of concern to evangelicals is the recently updated Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum which is taught in all secondary schools across the Republic of Ireland.

The new SPHE curriculum for junior cycle students (aged 12–15) was updated in September 2023. Students engage in 100 hours of SPHE teaching over three years and the first cohort of students is now in the second year of the programme. The senior cycle curriculum for students aged 16–19 was updated in September 2024 and covers 60 hours of teaching.

letter from Dublin

Lois McCrea

Over 400 women gathered for the sold-out annual Dublin Women’s Convention in late October.

Now in its 14th year, the convention is organised by a committee of women from churches within the Dublin Gospel Partnership. Women from all across the Republic of Ireland attended the convention to hear Jen Wilkin, US author and Bible-teacher, deliver three sessions on the attributes of God under the theme of ‘Behold our God, Worshipping Rightly Through Reverence and Imitation’.

letter from Dublin

Lois McCrea

Over 80,000 UK citizens live in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). With such close proximity to the UK, there are many similarities between our two countries. However, there are also many differences.

The differences are especially evident during the summer as primary-school children in the ROI enjoy a two month summer holiday, with secondary-school children having three months off!