Courts / Dublin / Report

University lecturer loses discrimination claim over getting Lent email from chaplaincy

Summary

Ian Kilroy, a Buddhist lecturer at the Technical University of Dublin, brought a discrimination claim under the Equal Status Act after receiving an email from the university's chaplaincy service on 15 February 2021 asking, "Who is Jesus?" He argued that the email, sent to a universal list, was an unsolicited proselytising act that discriminated against him because the chaplaincy was exclusively Christian and controlled by the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. Kilroy also claimed that the university failed to provide adequate facilities for minority faiths, citing the lack of dedicated spaces for Muslim, Jewish or Buddhist staff and students and the closure of the university's Zen Society. The adjudicating officer, Pat Brady, found no evidence of a discriminatory act, noting that the email was a universal notice and that the university had provided neutral spaces for reflection. The claim was dismissed, with the officer concluding that the email did not amount to discrimination.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: University lecturer loses discrimination claim over getting Lent email from chaplaincy. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• 15 February 2021 Other
• May 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
• February 2021 Other
• 2022-07-28 Publication

Why: Mr Kilroy said the "grossly unequal and discriminatory" provision of goods and services led him to close the college's Zen Society because of the "poor" accommodation shared by minority faiths. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

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Read the original CNI report