Veganism is the principle of non-oppression and non-exploitation put into practice.
Although there are many paths that lead people to go vegan, the main reason is because they care about animals.

Each year around the world, billions of sentient beings are caged, mutilated, poisoned, trapped, tortured and killed so we can eat them, use them as clothing, entertainment, and as tools and "models" to be to be dissected and vivisected on, etc.

The reason we do this is not because we need to do so, but because we want to do so. This reason is called “Speciesism”, which means discrimination towards members of other species.

A speciesist mentality leads to a society in which humans feel superior to other animals and treats them merely as items of property - resources to be used as we wish. Rarely are their fundamental needs and their basic rights recognised and respected. Nonhuman animals are seen to exist only to serve humans interests, the same way women were (and still are in some parts of the world) considered the property of men, or individuals of different colour, race, country, were regarded as the slaves of other humans (and still are in some parts of the world).

On a societal level, for things to change, humans have to realise that other animals live for their own reasons, they are not “things” or “slaves” to be used and disposed of as means to our ends. They are sentient beings who have the same ability as humans to experience pleasure and pain, and suffer from boredom and deprivation. They have their own personalities, likes and dislikes and most importantly, an interest in pursuing their lives, just like we do. Only with a greater number of vegans can the recognition of animal rights issues be brought up on a global scale.

On an individual level, you can oppose the property status of other animals right now, by becoming a vegan.

Veganism is easy, with a wide range of animal free products to chose from, from clothing to foods.
Make sure you read Vegan Ireland's guide to become a healthy and happy vegan!

You will learn how to:

Transform dishes that you already know into vegan ones, Be adventurous and explore new foods, Know what kind of clothes and shoes are vegan, know which products are suitable for vegans.