Faith to Force? Constitutional Secularism, Triple Lock Reform, and the Future of Irish Neutrality

This report explores how proposals to remove "God" from Ireland's judicial oath and ongoing debates over reforming the triple lock mechanism reflect a deeper shift in the Irish state's constitutional identity and defence posture. These developments mark a further move from a historically Catholic state moral foundation toward a more secular, strategic framework, raising critical questions about the future of Irish neutrality. With no constitutional protection for neutrality, changes to symbolic and legislative safeguards could enable a significant shift in military alignment and participation, including NATO accession, without clear public mandate. The report elucidates the need for democratic clarity, urging that any redefinition of neutrality be explicit, transparent, and supported by a referendum. It analyses the complexities of policy intersection of the Irish state and how they play paramount to each other in the historical foundations of the state and Ireland's future geo-strategic positioning, reinforced, changed or otherwise.

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Faith to Force Constitutional Secularism, Triple Lock Reform, and the Future of Irish Neutrality.pdf

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