Humanist Society NI, Belfast (2026)

11/06/2026

Humanist Society NI have been deeply saddened to see hate and violence on the streets of Northern Ireland once again. As humanists, we believe in treating all our fellow humans with kindness, tolerance and respect, no matter their story. We will always advocate for peace and safety for everyone, and our compassionate community are determined that even when hate feels unbearably loud, love and humanity must be louder ❤️

07/05/2026

How many Humanist Society NI members can you fit on a bench?!

As it turned out, just 2! On this one anyway, because this bench was reserved for stars of the wonderful touring production of ‘The Bench’, Julie and Maria ⭐️

Maria and Julie’s humanist connection goes way back - Julie officiated Maria’s wedding, and then Maria trained under Julie to become a humanist celebrant herself! Now, they’ve combined their shared passion for live drama by setting up their own theatre company, Jaq in the Box Theatre, and they’ve just completed a successful run of ‘The Bench’ to rapt audiences across Northern Ireland.

Lots of our members were lucky enough to see this fabulous production at the Grand Opera House in Belfast, and they experienced all the emotions as they followed characters from all walks of life experience everyday interactions on one bench. We absolutely loved this show and all the heart behind it; is it any wonder the audience were jumping to their feet at the end? 😍

Now that the tour is done, and the Bench is now nestled quietly in Julie’s back garden, Julie and Maria reflected on their experience of working together on this production.

Julie said, “We had such a great time producing, rehearsing and performing the show. Maria and I laughed from start to finish. Our audiences were very appreciative and took time to meet us after each show to tell us how much they enjoyed it. We had comments such as, ‘It was brilliant - I loved every minute,’ ‘A real rollercoaster of a show,’ ‘That was fantastic - and, by the way, where did you get that umbrella?’!”

And Maria added, “The Bench was simply class to work on, especially with my partner in crime Julie. Getting to know her as a Humanist and as a celebrant then taking a leap of faith and setting up a theatre company together has been a whirlwind and a dream come true. The journey with Julie has been very special - our audiences across the tour have been absolutely amazing and having our gang cheer us on is the absolute icing on the cake. Here’s to the bench - may you appreciate a moment to yourself every time you take a seat.”

Congratulations ladies, we’re so inspired to be in the presence of such talent! 💚

21/04/2026

Do you read with your head or your heart? 🤓❤️

Our last two picks had the Humanist Book Club divided, as we dove into Hamnet’s poetic embrace and Orbital’s cyclical rhythm - and came out the other side a mixture of captivated and irritated!

We love chatting about why stories make us feel certain ways, and because we try to vary our reads as much as possible, not everyone is going to love every choice! Our post read discussions are always thought provoking and hilarious, and we’re loving reading all kinds of wonderful things that help us examine different aspects of our humanity.

Our next read is a the debut novel from local author Stephen Daly, The Last Death Poet, which is “a gripping LGBTQI+ YA novel set in Belfast, where the theme of q***r identity intertwines with the ghosts of the city’s political past and the dark forces of Irish mythology, creating a gripping and unforgettable story with a paranormal twist”. We’re intrigued, are you?

If you’d like to join our bookworm ranks, the Humanist Book Club would love to welcome you! Drop us a DM for more details ☺️

30/03/2026

✨ Member Spotlight - Cathy Brennan Bradley ✨

As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we’re spotlighting the fantastic work of our member Cathy, who alongside her work as a humanist celebrant can often be seen treading the boards or lighting up a screen near you!

Cathy recently performed in a moving production of Catriona Cunningham’s ‘The Marian Hotel’, a “searing portrayal” of a dark time in the history of women in Ireland. The play, produced by Sole Purpose Productions, is based on the playwright’s lived experience of being in Marianvale Mother and Baby home in Newry, and is described as “a call to all impacted to come forward and raise their voices so that they may never again be silenced and shamed for being human.”

The piece had a profound impact on both its audiences and the actors who performed it; Cathy says, “I’ve never experienced anything like it as a performer.” Echoing truthfully the tragic events many women throughout Ireland endured over decades of institutionalised abuse, a frequent piece of feedback Cathy and the team heard about the play was “This story needs to be told.” And it was told with bags of heart and plenty of Northern Irish humour, too!

Fellow Humanist Society NI members Julie and Maria went to see The Marian Hotel, and Julie had this to say about the experience:

“We sat in a packed audience and, from the first minute, we were drawn into the quite shocking world of this mother and baby home. It was sometimes a difficult watch but humour played a key role in the telling of the story so the audience were laughing one minute and blinking away tears the next. A tour de force by an excellent cast who fully deserved their standing ovation at curtain call.”

The Humanist Society NI wishes Cathy and the team all the best as they prepare to tell this important story to more audiences. We’re very proud of our Cathy using her wonderful artistry to amplify the voices of those who weren’t always able to. Bravo, Cathy!

26/03/2026

This quote from American tennis player Arthur Ashe might have been intended as motivational sports advice, but we think it can apply to anything you need a bit of encouragement to take action on today. Even the smallest of actions can have a big impact - doing what you can is always better than doing nothing ☺️

(And remember, ‘using what you have’ might look like leaning on the support of your community, like we do all the time at Humanist Society NI!)

08/03/2026

Happy International Women’s Day! 💜

(from our wee group of awesome, silly, kind, fierce, strong, slightly bonkers ladies!)

Love, strength and solidarity to women all over the world today and everyday ❤️

14/02/2026

Love is…our business!

This Valentine’s Day, we asked some of our members who are also humanist wedding celebrants what their definition of love was - and we made them stick to one sentence, which was hard for people who have a LOT to say on that subject! We heard from:

celebrant

ni ni

Swipe to see what they said…

You can find a full list of our humanist wedding celebrants at humanistsni.com (link in bio)

Happy Love Day! ❤️

09/02/2026

Throwback to our AGM (Annual General meet-up-and-have-loads-of-tea-and-buns 🧁)

Our members met back in January for our all important AGM, which contrary to popular belief is more than just an excuse to eat chocolate and chat!

The AGM is an opportunity for us to discuss important developments within our society, to celebrate each others’ successes and to reconnect to the values that drive our small but mighty organisation. It’s a place to share ideas about how we can be active as a group in our local communities, and it’s always a really positive and motivating night.

Every year we choose a local charity to support, and this year we gathered donations for South West Belfast food bank and Dundonald Foodbank, both of whom offer absolutely vital resources within their communities. Their volunteers told us that January can be a very hard time for food banks, as the demand for their services doesn’t die down after Christmas, though the number of donations coming in do dramatically.

Our members Maria and Sarah who delivered our donations were shocked and emotional at the level of need within the communities these food banks serve; it’s unthinkable that families are going without the very basics in homes all over Northern Ireland. As Maria said, “No-one expects to fall on such hard times”, but sadly this is the reality for so many in Belfast and beyond.

Getting involved with local charities in this way reminds all of our members that we can be of service to our communities in big and small ways, no matter the season. As always, we’re grateful for so much - especially each other.

If you’d like to know more about what being a member of the Humanist Society NI involves, drop us a DM. Everyone is welcome 💚

01/02/2026

Beach day out for HSNI…but we traded our buckets and spades for bags and litter pickers!

Some of our wonderful members from Humanist Society NI recently joined the Ards and North Down Beach Cleaners to help tidy up beautiful Ballyholme Beach. It might have been a cold and wet February morning, but morale was high amongst the “Ocean’s Eleven” (Julie’s all bizz with herself with that name 😂) and the craic was mighty as we got stuck in to the task at hand.

Our member Claire made it a family day out, bringing her daughter along to join in the community effort and make meaningful memories. Claire says, “Even on miserable days, doing something good for the community and planet reminds me what it’s all about. Good chat and great company was the cherry on top!”

Our Chairperson Danielle identified the importance of these locally organised initiatives. She says:

“There is something really special about coming together as a community to care for the world around us. Armed with gloves, bags, and plenty of good spirits, our volunteers helped clear litter from the shoreline, protecting wildlife and keeping our beautiful coast looking its best.

It was not just about tidying up. It was about living our values in a practical way, showing kindness to the planet and to future generations. We are so proud of everyone who gave up their time to make a difference, and we cannot wait to get involved in more events like this.

Small actions, when done together, really do have a big impact.”

Hear, hear Danielle!

Well done to all our members making a difference in their communities…we can’t wait for many more events like this one in 2026 💚

29/12/2025

That was some year for one year! ✨

2025 was a mega year for the Humanist Society NI as our members learned and laughed together and made amazing memories as a society.

We asked our members to share a little highlight of the year, and these pictures are just a taster of the wonderful moments we’ve experienced. We’re all so grateful for the support of our fabulous fellow Society members, and we’re looking forward to everything 2026 has to offer!

Thank you to everyone who has engaged with our little Society this year, as we endeavour to embody our ethos of tolerance, respect and kindness in everything we do.

See you next year! 💚

Humanist Society NI

11/06/2026

07/05/2026

21/04/2026

30/03/2026

26/03/2026

08/03/2026

14/02/2026

09/02/2026

01/02/2026

29/12/2025

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