Judging Redmond and Carson: comparative Irish lives by Alvin Jackson (Royal Irish Academy, €30) Felix M. Larkin This dual biography by one of Ireland’s most distinguished historians, Professor Alvin Jackson of Edinburgh University, is premised on the notion that – to quote its author – “the parallel lives of great rivals or great antagonists (or great friends)…
Children’s Corner Magic tricks are a fun and enriching way to impress your friends and family, as well as learn some of history’s ancient secrets. Although not confirmed, many people believe that magic has been performed since the time of the pyramids – in fact, the Beni Hasan necropolis in Egypt has hieroglyphs showing…
The Cured (15A) If we draw a line from, say, King Kong to The Elephant Man, we can see a pattern. The mistreated ‘beasts’ become the victims of corporate forces trying to wipe them out. In such cases our sympathies lie foursquare behind such pariahs. The problem with The Cured, which focuses on a group of…
Dear Editor, For many years I was a member of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. I was shocked to read the article which said that the society will adopt no stance in the referendum on the Eighth Amendment, and will offer no advice to its members, regarding their decision on how to vote…
I find myself wondering where Mary is and what her thoughts are in this time between Easter and Pentecost, between the resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Gospels do not tell us about the encounter between Jesus and his mother – and we can scarcely begin to imagine it. Mary’s rebellious…
At this stage it probably goes without saying that Gaudate et Exsultate, the Pope’s new exhortation on holiness in ordinary life, was always going to be dismissed by some as like the proverbial curate’s egg: good in parts. Writing at catholicworldreport.com, for instance, in a piece headed ‘Pope Francis “takes aim” in Gaudete et Exsultate…
The sense of dread that came over me when Donald Trump was elected President of the USA was heightened considerably last week. There were silly tweets from him about launching missiles “nice, new and smart”, after the reported gas attacks near Damascus. In a sleepless moment last Friday night, on an extended Newsroom programme (BBC…
Fr Bernard Healy The Notebook I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Jerusalem this spring. Whilst there, I was able to visit a site sacred to our Jewish brethren, namely the Western (or Wailing) Wall. The Wall stands as a visible reminder of the destruction of the Jewish Temple by the…
Ireland’s educational infrastructure is in deep trouble. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the biggest single issue facing schools is the teaching of religion. Minister for Education Richard Bruton has latched on to the issue of the place of Faith in education as a convenient diversion from the real issues facing pupils and teachers on…
Harmonious day planned for Birr For those in the family with an ear for harmonies, the Birr Festival of Music and Voice will be returning for its second edition this May Bank Holiday weekend after an extremely successful debut last year. Focusing on choral, classical, and chamber music, the festival features a variety of Irish…
Colm Fitzpatrick
Aubrey Malone
Bairbre Cahill
Greg Daly
Brendan O’Regan
Michael Kelly