Field Hospitals I am proud to say that Focus Ireland helped over 500 families to secure a home last year and to escape the nightmare of being homeless. I now sometimes feel there are no words left to describe the deepening homelessness and humanitarian crisis. Since I founded Focus Ireland in 1985 I never dreamt I…
There was a brief golden period early in Francis’ papacy when mainstream media looked to be trying hard to report on Catholic matters in a genuinely informed and informative way. Not in Ireland, of course, but in Boston, where John Allen was signed by bostonglobe.com and in New York, where Frank Rocca has been plying…
Well, here we go again. When allegedly liberal social change is being advanced some elements in the media oblige by pushing carefully selected personal stories, imbalanced discussions and the full panoply of media bias strategies. It felt like the latest variation of this last week when Liveline (RTÉ Radio 1), with guest presenter Katie Hannon…
Personal Profile Colm Fitzpatrick speaks with award-winning nun Sr Moira Keane While nuns are usually portrayed in films as hidden away and sheltered from the outside world in convents, an Irish-born Mercy Sister has instead dedicated her life to those locked-up behind prison bars. Earlier this year Galway woman Sr Moira Keane, who has been…
Notebook Some months ago, I heard a request on our local radio station for a song by Max Boyce [pictured above]. The song played was familiar to me but not so the performer. I had never heard of him before and, no doubt, that says more about me than him. In any case, I liked…
I remember when I was small, I asked my Daddy why I had a belly button. He replied that it happened when God was checking if the babies were ready for delivery to families. “God went along the line of babies” said my Daddy, “poking each one gently in the tummy and saying, ‘You’re done…
Sweet Treats This is an old fashioned family favourite that remains ever popular. It is an essential recipe for every baker’s repertoire. There is nothing better with a cup of tea in the evening with its crunchy crust and delicious buttery inside studded with sweet pops of cherry. Ingredients 200g red glace cherries 190g butter…
Priests ‘unable’ to comply with new Confession law The leader of Tasmania’s Catholic Church has said priests in his archdiocese will not comply with a law that would require them to break the seal of Confession to report suspected child abuse. The law, passed last week, makes religious ministers mandatory reporters of child sexual abuse,…
An elderly priest – long since gone to his reward – once recounted a story to me about his time as an ecclesiastical inspector. What we now call a religious education advisor, his job was to tour schools ensuring that children were properly prepared for the reception of the sacraments. On the whole my priest…
A Bloody Week: The Irish At Arnhem by Dan Harvey (Merrion Press, €14.95/ £12.99) Joe Carroll Arnhem is the latest in the series of books in which Dan Harvey, a retired Irish army officer, recounts the exploits of Irish combatants in well-known battles. But the attempt to seize the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem…
Greg Daly
Brendan O’Regan
Colm Fitzpatrick
Bairbre Cahill
Michael Kelly