Prison chaplain denied entry due to no-beards rule

The fallout meant the 340 prisoners in Castlerea did not have access to the chaplain through the religious occasions over the Christmas period. 

Castlerea Prison has been without a prison chaplain since early December because of the chaplain’s refusal to shave off his beard. 

The chaplain, Deacon Seamus Talbot, has been denied entry to the prison following an order from the prison governor that anybody accessing the prison must be clean-shaven. This order was issued as part of a health and safety review around prison conditions during the pandemic.