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AN IRISH INTERNATIONAL footballer and model have been given the go ahead with their humanist marriage by the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland.
Laura Lacole and Eunan O’Kane can now have a legally recognised wedding conducted by a humanist celebrant.
Their wedding will be the first legal humanist ceremony in Northern Ireland and the first in the UK outside of Scotland.
Lacole, a model and public speaker, and O’Kane, a Leeds United and Republic of Ireland midfielder, plan to get married on Thursday.
Lacole said, “Eunan and I are relieved to now have legal recognition for our humanist ceremony on Thursday.
All we’ve been asking for is to be able to get married in a form that reflects our deepest-held beliefs and values. Knowing that this can now happen is an amazing feeling. I’m so happy that we’ve taken such an important step forward.
Lacole, who is also vice-chair of Atheist NI, claims she is being discriminated against under the European Convention on Human Rights.
The couple have yet to decide on a bid to overturn a ruling that the celebrity couple faced discrimination based on their belief.
Appeals by Attorney General John Larkin QC and a Stormont Department were adjourned till September.
Lacole added, “Eunan and I are hopeful that after September, the right to a legal humanist ceremony that we will have enjoyed will be extended to other couples in Northern Ireland.”
Humanist weddings have been legally recognised as marriages in Scotland since 2005 and in Ireland since 2012.
Around 6% of legal marriages were humanist in Ireland in 2015, more than three times as many as there were Protestant marriages.
However, to date couples in Northern Ireland, England, and Wales have been required to have an additional register office ceremony to make their humanist wedding legally binding.
Fair play to them for fighting for something they believe in. Will make it much easier for other couples in the same boat.
@Buzz Cauldron: fair play to them for fighting for something that they don’t believe in
@moreshitetalk: yea kinda ironic to have a strong vocal stance on something you believe doesn’t exist
@Andrew Corrigan: They believe humanist ceremonies don’t exist? Not anymore!!
DUP will not like this.
@ktsiwot: F**k em
@ktsiwot: l bet there all saying in uison “catch yourself on” and tutting or what ever the scots gaelic equivilant is
@Andrew Corrigan: “they’re” “whatever”
@Andrew Corrigan: equivalent
@JMac: And “unison.
Congratulations and thanks for providing a gateway for other’s..Well done
Why not just get married in a registry office/civil ceremony, everybody no matter what sort of ‘religious’, or whatever ceremony they have still have to sign the civil register according to the law of the land…attention seeking twits….
@Jun Stone: because they wanted to do this.
@Jun Stone: attention seeking twits. My god the irony
@Dave O Keeffe: Why though? They’re looking for “equality” with religions, I don’t get it and I don’t think it does humanism any good, just makes it sound like another religion. And I’m an atheist.
@Jun Stone: That’s the way it is in Germany , everyone has go to the registry office regardless. But at the end of the day marriage is only a piece of paper and a few signatures and should be done wherever you want.
@Jun Stone:
If you ever attended a humanist funeral, you would understand why. It’s not attention seeking but a very personal ceremony with great thought put into it.
@Adrian: because it’s what they wanted. Should they need to explain any further?
@Tony Stack: legally marriage is a very big deal,whats mine is yours isn’t just something people say to make a ceromony sound nice,marriage has huge implications,tax,property,income,
assets
Wouldn’t kick her out of the bed for aytin’ bischuits wha
Fair play to them
Brilliant news. Humanist ceremonies are a breath of fresh air and really personal. Best wishes to them both!
@The Risen: religious ceremonies are also deeply personal to the people who value them. There’s a notion that because it’s a humanist ceremony that it’s “different” because it’s relatively new and therefore more original and authentic. But people who marry in churches also feel deeply personal about their vows to each other too. Not saying humanist ceremonies aren’t nice just feel that it’s wrong to dismiss anyone else’s choice of wedding. I think people are just bored with church weddings and if they were then newer alternative then they’d be more fashionable now. Yes, I do think some people can be this fickle.
@A H: humanist weddings are more personal as it’s totally about the love between those two people, no third parties. I’ve been at a few of them and it’s just a much nicer experience with less stress around it.
@A H: I think you missed the point, I don’t think it is fashion. I think more people realize they don’t need a man wearing a dress and an imaginary friend present.
@A H: Religious ceremonies are 90% about (insert mythical god here) and 10 % about the couple. So not even close to as personal.
@John B: Nope I didn’t miss the point at all. I still think there are people that will have humanist ceremonies because they’re atheists and there are crowd followers who’ll do it to be trendy. That’s all.
@A H: Catholic weddings are not personal. They are about God doing magic to keep man and wife together. The ceremony is riddled with readings and prayers and even Jesus’ human sacrifice to his vindictive father is central not the couple. Plus membership in the Catholic Church can ruin your life for you are subjected to its cruel laws. For example, no religion has the right to urge and order a young bride to remain true to her evil husband should the marriage fail but Catholicism claims such a right!
Sounds like the kind of thing Gwyneth Paltrow would go to.
… googles Laura Lacole…..
@D to the í: apparently she wanted to be the first topless model in space. Hmmmm
What is a humanist wedding? Don’t we already have civil marriage?
@Peter Breen: civil marriage is only allowed Monday to Friday in office business hours, this can be held on Saturday and in kinda more fancy style, however without religious bit.
It strange that they feel any type of ceremony is required to declare there commitment to each other.
@Free comment ratings: it’s just a
@Scundered: …way to be sure that if partner let’s you down, you can take all their stuff. As it’s now in contract :)
@Free comment ratings: far less strange than the majority who feel they need an imaginary being to oversee proceedings.
@John B: imaginary to you.. Could be very real to someone.
Feckin Thursday weddings!
Why is it a heading a sub heading and the second paragraph in before you mention their names. Always liked the way Irish people unlike the brits or americans don’t define themselves by their job. Seems a bit odd.
@Bilbo Baggins: because he’s not exactly unknown. He has Ireland caps
@Bilbo Baggins: So where’s “Pat the Baker” from? I thought he was Longford not London.
@Diaspora’d: that’s so you don’t mix him up with Paddy yer man that makes whiskey, or St Pat or Pat Kenny.
@Bilbo Baggins: it’s just that his name is a little embarrassing as is Laura’s surname.
@Shane Cormac O’Duibhleachain: *His* name is embarrassing? Pots, kettles!
DUP will overturn that as soon as brexit is sorted !!!’n but yes a bit of steel in Irish midfield. Seriously fair play to her
Sounds kind of dumb. Why bother having a ceremony at all if you know there’s no fairy in the sky? Do they pray to Superman?
@Alex: tax purposes?
@Clever Jake: That’s even dumber. Why not donate the money to charity if they love humans so much
@Alex: To be honest no one has a wedding ceremony to celebrate a god. They have one because they love each other like every normal couple does and this is the way that normal couples express their love. They don’t do it for Jesus anyway. And they’re great craic…
She seems really down to earth! Good on them!
@Colm O’Sullivan: ha, if you’ve got it…
@Dave O Keeffe: if you’ve got it, keep it to yourself and the person you’re sharing the rest of your life with. I just watched that and honestly what the hell is wrong with these narcissistic people these days that they need to get their baps out and show the world that they’re something special? What’s going on with people. Good luck to them but after seeing that I’d say she’s not adverse to stirring up publicity. I don’t know about the future of our planet in the hands of people like this. I think global warming has a plan myself.
@A H: she actually spends most of it talking about science. And I’d say half of it wearing more than just a bikini. What she wears is her choice. Young, beautiful, confident and clearly more intelligent than you’ve assumed. It was to win a competition, she knows how to get votes.
@Dave O Keeffe: Yes…by getting her baps out
Best of luck to them. Just a thought Cliodhna Russel, it might be nicer to use the couple’s names in the opening line, as opposed to “Republic of Ireland player and model granted recognition..”. Not sure why we always need to refer to people’s job title. If they were unemployed would it say “two unemployed people granted recognition..”
#fallen angel
If she asked me to swim through a pool of pig $#!+. I would.
@nero: well there you go now. And you probably wonder how some men end up with super bitches…because they’d do anythin for a pretty face wrapped up in a barbie doll body. Until it’s too late and her personality comes out after you’ve signed your life away (*** I am not talking about the lady in this article…I’m sure she’s lovely)
@A H: life of the party over here.
Serious Question: How many marriages took place in a mosque?
So now to have a “relevant” and “considered marriage” you need a great cause like a humanist wedding to celebrate your nuptials! Full of crap. 6 months I reckon
Lad I’d suck farts ouv her ar$e
Who gives a fcuk!
What is a registry office for?
They must have agonised over hors d,oeuvre s
Vice ch
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