| Censorship In The Republic Of Ireland |
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CURRENT CENSORSHIP Film censorship In the past, Ireland's Film Censors Office heavily cut films, and also videos for rental release; or placed extremely high age ratings on them. However, since the release of Michael Collins in 1996 , which was rated PG for ''historical reasons'', despite its depictions of extreme Violence , the censors office has reduced age ratings in general and rarely cuts movies. For example, the controversial 2004 film 9 Songs was released uncut with an 18s certificate. Ratings usually match those of the UK , or are one level higher. Six movie rating categories exist, although a movie may have been re-rated by the time of its video/DVD release.
Three separate categories exist for video releases:
The G, PG and 18 certifications have the same principles on video, but some 18's movies may be denied a video release certificate. However, many movies have been banned in Ireland in the past, including '' Life Of Brian '', '' Disney's Fantasia '' and '' A Clockwork Orange ''. A review in 2000 has meant that many of these have since been un-banned and rated anywhere from 12PG to 18. During that review process it was decided that no more films would be banned for either theatre or video release, but some bans are still in place. The Film Censors Office's official figures state that 2,500 films received theatrical performance bans, although mainly pre- 1965 , and over 11,000 films were cut, mainly pre- 1985 . The most notable recent ban was that of Boy Eats Girl in 2005 , a movie starring Irish actress Samantha Mumba , due its graphic depiction of a Suicide attempt. Following an appeal, it was allowed pass uncut to a 15A rating, far from the highest possible. Films which are banned and do not have an appeal lodged, or which fail on appeal, have an enforcement noticed published in Iris Oifigiúil , the state's journal. The most recent enforcement notice, As Of 2005 , appeared in the September 20 2005 journal, and was the first of the year. Revocation notices are also published in the journal, for when a movie has been allowed. Advertisements Advertisements are regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland, and must be truthful and factually accurate. In addition, adverts for illegal services are not allowed. The ASAI is a voluntary industry body which has no statuatory powers and has no power to remove a publication from circulation. This power is vested in the Censorship of Publications Board. Given the status of the ASAI some advertisers choose to continually ignore its rulings by running controversial advertisements purely to draw attention to their products and services. Newspapers and magazines Whilst still theoretically censorable, newspapers and magazines are free to publish anything which does not break Ireland's tough Libel laws. The Censorship of Publications Board reviews newspapers and magazines referred to it by the Customs and Excise and by members of the public. The troubles During the Troubles in Northern Ireland censorship was used to prevent Sinn Féin and IRA members from having access to the media. Under Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act, it was forbidden to broadcast the voice of Sinn Féin members. This rule was brought in by Fianna Fáil Minister For Posts & Telegraphs Gerry Collins in 1971 and strengthened by Labour 's Conor Cruise O'Brien in 1977 . The United Kingdom had a similar rule at the same time, although British broadcasters subverted this censorship by Dubbing Sinn Féin speeches and interviews, with an actor's voice repeating the speech word-for-word. Irish broadcasters adhered much more strictly to the rule, and RTÉ refused to dub speeches and even refused to broadcast Sinn Féin members when they were talking about matters completely unrelated to the Northern Troubles. For example, Sinn Féin member Larry O'Toole was not permitted to appear on RTÉ to talk about a Trade Union dispute he was involved in. Instead, clips of the speaker talking were shown, along with a brief summary of what was being said. The High Court later found that this exclusion was not justified under Section 31. The Section 31 broadcasting ban was lifted in 1993 by Minister For Arts, Culture & The Gaeltacht Michael D. Higgins as part of the Peace Process . Pornography Hardcore Pornography , while legal in Ireland, is not allowed depict any acts which are illegal in the state. This also covers any participants being beneath the Irish Age Of Consent . If any of these are in a video, DVD, film, photograph or website, use and possession of them is illegal. CENSORSHIP OF BOOKS Until the 1970s , it was commonplace for books to be banned for containing violence, sex, cursing, references to birth control, and so on. This has since ceased, and virtually all books banned have been unbanned. In the past, many books of undoubted literary merit, as well as serious books on reproductive issues and sexual health, were banned. Contrary to popular belief, James Joyce 's ' Ulysses ' was never banned in Ireland. Madonna 's controversial book '' Sex '' was banned on its release in 1992 but unbanned in 2004. Books containing references to due to its content. However, importing this book and its sale second-hand are legal. FORMERLY CENSORED TOPICS Abortion and birth control Until the early 1990s, promotion of abortion in any way, including providing impartial information, was disallowed, and any publications providing information on it would be confiscated. Copies of '' Marie Claire '' and '' Cosmopolitan '' women's magazines sold in the Republic were specially printed with blank pages instead of advertisements for abortion clinics. In the 1980s, the Irish Family Planning Association and the Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin Student's Union s were successfully sued by the Society For The Protection Of Unborn Children for publishing telephone numbers for abortion clinics in the United Kingdom . The Irish Labour Party T.D. Proinsias De Rossa subverted this ban by reading the offending telephone numbers into the Dáil record, using his Absolute Privilege as a member of the Oireachtas to avoid a lawsuit. In the wake of the X Case , the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution Of Ireland removed this prohibition in November 1992. Homosexuality Prior to the forced legalisation of Homosexuality in Ireland (due to David Norris , a Senator , prosecuting the state), the media was not allowed promote it in a positive light. This has since been removed, and discriminating against homosexuality is now illegal. UNUSUAL OVERSIGHTS Music Music Videos are exempt from film classification, whereas in the UK , they must be classified. Broadcasters usually use their discretion and obey the UK classifications and showing time restrictions. Music lyrics are also not censored, and as Irish music stores often source their stock from Canada and not the UK, singles are often sold with North American Explicit Lyrics labels, and unedited lyrics. Computer games Unlike most other countries, the Film Censors have no right to censor any form of video games. This led to an unusual situation where in the 1990s , UK owned game sales multiples sold the sanitised versions of Carmageddon , whilst Irish owned stores sold the uncut versions imported from the United States . Games may only be banned if they contain content which could be classed as pornography. Ireland is a member of PEGI, but places no legal powers on its age recommendations. Retailers may attempt to enforce them at their discretion, but in the case of a protest they must sell the product to the customer. CENSORSHIP LANDMARKS Development of Irish statutes
''In Dublin'' magazine In the 1980s and 1990s , an indigenous Irish version of the internationally available '' TimeOut '' magazine called '' In Dublin '' existed. The magazine was renowned for its advertisements for ''Massage Parlours'' and ''Bathhouses''. When it was finally proven in 1999 that the advertisements were for prostitution services, the magazine was forcibly withdrawn from circulation for six months and ceased to exist. The trademark has since changed hands and the current ''InDublin'' magazine does not advertise the type of institution that could possibly be a brothel. EXTERNAL LINKS
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