Our Launch Day

Our website was officially launched on 24 January. Many thanks to our volunteer Samina Ahmed for creating our beautiful site.

We contacted a number of media outlets around Ireland informing them about our launch. We were featured in articles in The Journal and Vegconomist magazine, and we were also interviewed on several local radio stations.

Discount Scheme

We were able to get many businesses to sign up to our Discount Scheme, and we now have a total of 36 businesses (both online and local) around Ireland included. We’re always looking for new businesses to come on board, so please contact us if you’re interested or if you know of a business that might like to join the scheme.

Membership Scheme

Our membership scheme is available for all to join. We very much welcome and encourage vegetarians to join as members. Yearly membership costs €25. Reduced membership for OAPs and unwaged is €15. Student membership costs €5. There is also a lifetime membership option.

The Vegan Society of Ireland now has a total of 150 members and more people are joining every week.

Members are welcome to get involved in our activities and discussions by joining our Volunteer group on WhatsApp. You can email us if you’re interested in joining the group, or just fill out our online form.

Donations

We very much welcome donations of any amount. We are a registered charity, and all monies received will be used to promote veganism in Ireland via campaigns, ads, local and national media, social media, events, leafleting, stalls, conferences, education and working with other organisations.

New Constitution

Our new constitution states the following as our main objects:

To advance education, and to promote the positive aspects of veganism in relation to animal rights, environmental issues and human health.

To promote a social transformation to a way of life that avoids, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of animal use, including using animals for food, clothing, entertainment, medical experiments, or any other purpose.

To provide information and support through publications, talks, interviews, websites and social media to empower individuals to go vegan.

To lobby Irish politicians to enshrine animal rights in Irish Law and to end public subsidies supporting the use of animals.

Social Media

You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

We always appreciate more followers!

Annual General Meeting

Our AGM was held on 24 July this year and was well attended. Dr. Ulrich Bartels was elected as a director and trustee of the society, and we are very pleased to have someone of Ulrich’s calibre joining us. He is our official spokesperson on Health. A number of people also expressed an interest in joining the committee.

Media and Press Releases

One of the primary reasons the new Society was set up was to be a voice for vegans in Ireland. Since our launch in January, we have written to the media on various issues and have issued rebuttals to misinformed claims made in the media.

We have also published several press releases.

Talks

Our first public talk was by our environment spokesperson James O’Donovan. James was invited by the political party Independent Left to give a talk about transitioning to a vegan agriculture system. You can listen to James’ talk here.

Vegan Outreach

We have produced our first vegan outreach leaflet, which you can view on our website. Our leaflets were handed out by volunteers, who held a vegan stall at Foxford Riverfest in Mayo in August. We plan on producing a selection of vegan leaflets that our volunteers can distribute at events. Anyone who wishes to print the leaflets can do so via our website.

Future Plans

The board has identified the following areas that we will focus on in the coming year:

• Produce a collection of outreach materials such as banners and leaflets to be distributed at events
• Initiate a Third-Level Colleges Campaign to get more students involved and spread awareness of veganism
• Promote Veganuary
• Continue to interact with the media, release press statements, etc.
• Expand our Discount Scheme