Saint Brigid: Life, Legend, and Cult Noel Kissane (Four Courts Press, €24.99) Padraig Ó Riain In the Life he wrote for Brigid, Cogitosus, the earliest known Irish biographer of a saint, declared that because of her, Kildare’s authority extended “from sea to sea”, from one side of Ireland to the other. Judging by the dedications…
The Source of All Love: Catholicity and the Trinity by Heidi Russell (Orbis Books / Alban Books, £22.99) This book is by a distinguished member of the faculty of the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University in Chicago. She addresses the problem of presenting the doctrine of the Trinity in a manner that reflects our…
The break-out from the Maze prison in 1983 was ultimately unsuccessful – most of the 38 prisoners who escaped were either captured or killed – but it could be argued that it galvanised the powers-that-be towards the Good Friday Agreement which occurred more than a decade later. This brilliant film is set in the aftermath…
Last week I reviewed some of the new programmes on Newstalk, but even then trouble was brewing on one of the regular shows, George Hook’s High Noon. The controversy reached ridiculous levels last week, culminating in the suspension of the presenter. There were lots of toys being thrown out of prams, followed by the mob with…
It’s not autumn until you’ve had apple and blackberry crumble or pie topped with delicious custard for dessert. My childhood memories are filled with homemade apple pie, crumble, or sponge pudding with handpicked blackberries and creamy custard. As long as it had apple, blackberries and custard, it didn’t matter whether it was pastry, sponge or…
In spite of his surname, Columban Fr Tomás King, has lived a life far removed from social prestige and wealth, spending the past 25 years away from his Irish home, in a country which suffers from internal political disputes, severe poverty and ongoing violence. His journey from working with the Traveller community in Galway to…
Our children always comment (or complain depending on how you look at it) that whenever and wherever we are on holiday we will end up in a cathedral, a church or a graveyard at some point of the trip. That was certainly true this year when we went to Italy. From little quiet chapels in…
Science of Life Prof. William Reville Human beings are members of a large group of animals known as mammals and all female mammals have mammary glands (breasts) that produce milk for feeding the young. This natural method of breastfeeding is scientifically well established as the optimal form of nutrition for babies and is enthusiastically…
Annual Babywearing ‘Wear a Hug’ fair Babywearing Ireland is a not-for-profit organisation run by a network of volunteers all passionate about promoting safe babywearing and its benefits for both children and caregivers. It is a voluntary, community-based organisation with an nationwide network of sling libraries, meets and online support. The annual ‘Wear a Hug Fair’…
Cancer diagnosis rates are rising, but so too are survival rates, writes Mags Gargan Every 15 minutes someone in Ireland hears the words ‘You have cancer’. It is a disease that has touched every family in every community in Ireland. The rates of cancer diagnosis are rising but so too are survival rates. This year…
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan
Erin Fox
Colm Fitzpatrick
Bairbre Cahill
William Reville
Mags Gargan