Breda O'Brien facts for kids

Breda O'Brien, born in 1962, is an Irish teacher and writer. She writes a weekly column for The Irish Times newspaper. Ms. O'Brien often shares her views on important topics, which are based on Catholic beliefs. In 1992, she helped start the Irish part of a group called Feminists for Life.

Early Life and School

Breda O'Brien was born in Dungarvan, a town in County Waterford, Ireland. She went to school at the Convent of Mercy in Dungarvan. Later, she studied at the Mater Dei Institute of Education in Dublin. There, she trained to become a teacher.

Her Work and Public Role

Teaching Career

From 1983 to 1987, Breda O'Brien taught English and Religion at Muckross Park College. This is a Catholic girls' school. She returned to teaching there in 1992 and has been there ever since.

Writing and Media Work

Before becoming a full-time writer, Ms. O'Brien worked in different media roles. From 1988 to 1991, she produced videos and trained people in communication at the Catholic Communications Centre in Dublin. She also worked as a researcher for RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster, from 1991 to 1992.

Her career as a newspaper writer, known as a columnist, began in 1997. She wrote for The Sunday Business Post until 2000. After that, she started writing her regular column for The Irish Times.

Public Views and Groups

Breda O'Brien is a supporter of the Iona Institute. This group works to promote traditional Catholic views in Ireland. She often appears in the Irish media, sharing her support for the teachings of the Catholic Church.

In her Irish Times column, she has written about her strong belief that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. .....

Her views on civil partnerships have changed over time. In 2008 and 2010, she was against them. However, by 2015, before the vote on marriage equality in Ireland, she stated that she supported civil partnerships.

Ms. O'Brien and other members of the Iona Institute took legal action against RTÉ and a performer known as Panti Bliss. This was because they felt they were unfairly called "homophobes" for campaigning against changing the definition of marriage. This event led to Panti's famous "Noble Call" speech.

Breda O'Brien is married and has four children. Her children have been home-schooled.

See Also

• Patricia Casey
• David Quinn
• John Waters
• Iona Institute
• LGBT rights in the Republic of Ireland