Banned Books Week was first initiated by the American Library Association in 1982 in response to an increasing number of challenges in the US to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. In the United States books are regularly banned and challenged within school districts. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling is regularly challenged and banned, with reasons cited including anti-family, occult/Satanism, religious viewpoint and violence. The Harry Potter series was also banned in St. Mary's Island Church of England school in Chatham, Kent.
In the United States banning is
usually limited to libraries and schools, Irish
censorship laws prevent the import, sale or distribution of prohibited
publications. The Censorship of
Publications Act, 1929, was enacted to prohibit the sale and distribution of
“unwholesome literature”. Violations to the terms of this act could result in a fine of £50 or a prison sentence of up to 6 months.
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| Source: American Library Association |
In 1946 the Minister for Justice introduced an appeals board, this allowed for some banned books to become available. As a result over 130 books were appealed however this was a largely symbolic victory as most of the books were out of print when the ban was lifted. Despite the introduction of the appeals process the 1950s saw a resurgence of books being banned, with a staggering 1,034 books banned in 1954 alone.
Some of the books that were banned in Ireland include:
I am alone by Walter Macken
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan
Most of these books were banned as soon as they were published. The Censorship Board was not required to explain why a book had been banned. However most were probably banned due to one or a combination of the following reasons; critique of Irish republicanism, critique of the Catholic Church, offensive language, or depiction of sexuality.
Luckily these books are no longer banned in Ireland and are available in your library! Check out a banned book today ...
Some of the books that were banned in Ireland include:I am alone by Walter Macken
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan
Most of these books were banned as soon as they were published. The Censorship Board was not required to explain why a book had been banned. However most were probably banned due to one or a combination of the following reasons; critique of Irish republicanism, critique of the Catholic Church, offensive language, or depiction of sexuality.
Luckily these books are no longer banned in Ireland and are available in your library! Check out a banned book today ...
American Library Association Banned Books page http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks
Censorhip, Notre Dame University Available at: https://sites.nd.edu/irish-hesburgh/censorship/
Censorship of Publications Act, 1929 http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1929/act/21/enacted/en/html?q=censorship
Censorship of Publications Act, 1946 http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1946/act/1/enacted/en/html?q=censorship
Diaz, Eleanor and James LaRue 2017, "50 Years of Intellectual Freedom
The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom celebrates its history" available at https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2017/11/01/50-years-office-intellectual-freedom/
Ross, Samuel, Harry Potter Banned? Why do some parents want to ban the world's favorite wizard?available at: https://www.infoplease.com/harry-potter-banned
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