Atheist Ireland, a lobby group which promotes the concept of a secular state, is claiming that the Institute of Technology Sligo (IT) should have advertised the post of Chaplain at the college instead of signing an agreement with the Diocese of Elphin to provide the service according to the Sligo Champion.

The group claims that IT hired a Chaplain without following normal public procurement or recruitment policies. Freedom of Information documents seen by the newspaper reveals the IT paid the Diocese of Elphin a service fee of €55,000 a year for a chaplain since 2010, aligning the post to the grade of College Teacher.

The Institute was established as a secular body and spends public money. As such, it is bound to adhere to public procurement rules, claims Atheist Ireland. The FOI response revealed the Institute did not advertise the post, recorded no decision to award the contract to the Diocese of Elphin and did not hold any interviews for the post. IT Sligo also pays expenses, professional accreditation fees and professional supervision fees and insurance policies, including professional indemnity cover for the chaplain.

Chair of the NorthWest branch of Atheist Ireland and a third year Social Care Student Corey Whyte said that "At no point has IT Sligo looked to engage with students to discover their actual needs. The €55,000 of public money used to fund the Catholic chaplaincy has actively discriminated against students, not of the Catholic faith. This money could have been appropriated towards an inclusive service that benefits all of the students. There is nothing wrong with a priest filling a chaplaincy role. However the requirement for the role itself should be assessed based on students’ needs to see if funds could be put towards a more inclusive service."

IT Sligo has made no comment on the matter, while a spokesperson for the Diocese of Elphin was unavailable for comment according to the paper.