Dear all,

We have recieved several emails and requests to update people on the status of the sword ban in the Republik of Ireland. Therefore I have decided to publish the information we do have at the moment. Nothing has changed really since we published the first status update. The legislation including the part of the sword ban has not been put in front of the Dail and thus the process of creating the law has not yet started.
We do not know what the legislation will cover or include at this stage. We assume that it will be similar to the law in the UK, but at the current state in time, we do not have enough information to confirm or deny this. The ministry of justice - which we have been in contact with - will not issue any information or give statements until the legislation has entered the Dail.

We have been given no indication of the time, when this will happen, but will monitor the situation closely. How this will effect iaidoka, sword collectors or others, we do not know and we can not give any advice on this, really.
We have recieved several information from people in the UK informing us about what the law is in the UK and how this effects people there. So far all iaidoka we know have continued training without any issues.

Please be aware that even if we assume that the Irish Government will mirror the UK law, this is not basis on which we can advise people on. As well we can not give you any timelines or dates.

Once we have recieved more information, we will be issuing an update on this website.

Thanks and regards,
Björn

President, Iaido Association of Ireland