There should be no prayers or religious iconography in city and county council chambers, a Cork councillor has said. Sessions of parliament in Britain, America, Ireland among other countries start with a prayer.

Social Democrat, Pádraig Rice, has spoken of his shock and surprise that council meetings still begin with prayer – with a crucifix hanging from the wall.

He has put down a motion calling for a “clear separation”  of Church and State – urging Irish people to “create a modern, pluralist republic of equals”.

“The people who voted for us come from all faiths and none, so I think it’s deeply inappropriate that we open our meetings with prayer [and] have religious iconography in the chamber – I just don’t see the need for it. I think it should be stopped”.

When asked if he thought that the crucifix should be retained as a piece of historical architecture, Cllr Rice said he thought that prayers and the crucifix are “all tied up together”.

“I think if we’re going to stop the prayer, we should probably remove the iconography as well.

“I think it’s all connected,” he said.