Irish Council for Civil Liberties
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) is an Irish non-profit group that defends civil liberties and human rights in Ireland. It was founded on 30 June 1976 by Mary Robinson (who would become president) and Kader Asmal, among others. The organisation is based in Dublin. The current chairperson is Colette Kelleher and the executive director is Joe O'Brien. Its website is iccl.ie.
The ICCL works to protect civil rights and connects with other rights groups at home and abroad. During the divorce campaign of the 1980s and 1990s, the ICCL helped form the Divorce Action Group to push for legalising divorce, which was approved in a 1995 referendum.
The ICCL is a member of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH). It has repeatedly called for the abolition of the Special Criminal Court and, in 2009, opposed expanding it to cover organised crime.
In October 2011, the ICCL said information given to voters about the Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth Constitutional Amendments was late and inadequate, and it urged a 'no' vote on the Thirtieth Amendment. That amendment was defeated by more than 100,000 votes.
In January 2020, the ICCL criticised a Kilkenny school for trying to use facial recognition to record data on children and staff; the plan was postponed.
In 2023, the ICCL supported curbing hate speech but asked for clear definitions of "hate" and "incitement" so that only the most extreme cases are covered, to protect freedom of expression. They also urged strengthening the freedom-of-expression defense in the legislation, in line with European court rulings.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:33 (CET).