Nobody reading this review is likely to have heard of Hugh Mahon. So why does he merit a biography – in fact a projected two-volume biography? The book to hand is the first instalment, with the second to follow in the not-too-distant future. Mahon was born near Tullamore in 1857, and lived in Canada and…
Last weekend saw four dioceses welcoming newly ordained priests, including the new holder of the title of Ireland’s youngest priest. Fr David Vard, 25, was ordained by Bishop Denis Nulty for the Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin in his home parish of Newbridge on Sunday. Fr David began his priestly studies immediately after his Leaving…
The Order of Malta has been commended by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin for its commitment to alleviating social and spiritual suffering throughout the world. “The care of the sick and the troubled and the marginalised is an essential dimension of the Christian life and of the life of the Church. The Order of Malta and its members…
Time is running out to solve Venezuela’s problems, two former Latin American leaders have announced, calling for the international community to follow the Vatican’s lead in tackling the crisis. Speaking in the Vatican, Bolivia’s former president Jorge Quiroga said that President Nicolas Maduro’s attempts to “put a group of his friends in what is called…
Dear Editor, The recent media and political reports about the young pregnant mother detained under the Mental Health Act 2001 show a large lack of knowledge of what suicidal ideation is and how mental health law works around it. If any person arrives to A&E in an actively suicidal state they are assessed quickly and…
When was the last time you saw a priest portrayed positively on television or in the cinema? The question from a friend of mine struck a chord with me. And, after a few minutes, I had to admit I couldn’t think of a recent example. It got me thinking about the fact that when I…
New research debunks the sensationalist myths surrounding the Magdalen laundries in Ireland, a leading historian has claimed. Dr Jacinta Prunty, head of history at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, has painstakingly trawled the archives for a new book which aims to set the record straight. Dr Prunty says she hopes her new book –…
The Redemptorist Order has revealed that as well as attracting huge numbers to their churches, their annual novenas are now drawing thousands of viewers to watch the services online. Fr Noel Kehoe, rector of Clonard Monastery in Belfast, said that on average 14,000 people had watched this year’s novena on the web – the highest…
The World of Books The news that President Trump is to withdraw the US from the Paris Accord on Climate Change may already be last month’s news, but a few comments of a cultural nature about the background might not be out of place. It is to be hoped that given his hectic schedule the…
Ian D’Alton County Louth and the Irish revolution 1912-1923 edited by Donal Hall and Martin Maguire (Irish Academic Press, €19.99 pb, €39.99 hb). In this ‘decade’ of commemorating and remembering the formative period from 1912 to 1923 we are already buried in books. The centenary of the 1916rebellion has seen the emergence of literally hundreds of…
Mags Gargan
Michael Kelly
Greg Daly
Colm Fitzpatrick