 In 2016 Atheist Ireland refused an invitation to attend the state commemoration of the Easter Rising the chairman, Michael Nugent saying “The 1916 Rising involved an undemocratic group killing innocent people, based on a Proclamation whose authors claimed that Ireland was acting through them in the name of God...The reason for using the wrong date is to make the commemorations coincide with the Christian holiday of Easter.”

The Defamation Bill 2006 was being actively developed before coming to fruition in 2009 subsequently being renamed The Defamation Bill 2009.The bill was the brainchild of Irish Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan originally however a shuffle in the cabinet meant Dermot Ahern would later inherit the responsibility of being the bill's steward.It was signed on the 9/7/09 with a stipulation that it would come into effect on 1 January 2010.