Some of our regular reviewers select the book or books they most enjoy or were impressed by over the course of the last year… Mary Kenny Although it’s a serious and scholarly book, Religion, Landscape & Settlement in Ireland – From Patrick to Present, by Kevin Whelan (Four Courts Press, €45.00), is clear, accessible and…
Arsonist arrested after burning down US church After a fire destroyed Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Franklin Lakes in the early hours of December 11 the suspected arsonist was arrested. He was receiving burn treatment at a local hospital prior to his court hearing. “We are thankful for the efforts of the police, firefighters and…
Notebook My Auntie Mary was the most famous person in our family, but she attained fame in an unusual way. She was my grandmother’s aunt and had died long before I was born. I knew only two salient facts about her: she lived on North Street, Skibbereen. And she died on Christmas Day. What happens…
I’ve always loved how the Christ-child in the nativity scene is usually depicted with his arms outstretched, as if reaching out to the world. The birth of Jesus – God becoming man – is the decisive Divine intervention in human history. And yet, there is a paradox of humility and apparent weakness in the Christmas…
Róise McGagh A nun from Co. Down who took her vows in 1942 recently celebrated her 100th birthday in Port Elizabeth. Sr Mary Bartholomew was sent to South Africa at the beginning of World War II. Her five nieces flew from Leitrim to join her for the celebration. Growing up in Leitrim, Sr Mary, born…
EXCLUSIVE The Pope’s representative in Ireland has said that the process to streamline and merge Ireland’s dioceses has already begun, despite opposition from some quarters. In an exclusive interview with The Irish Catholic, Papal Nuncio Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo confirmed that “the process of amalgamation has already started”. Following the high-profile 2010-2012 Vatican investigation of…
Well-known singing and now dancing priest Fr Ray Kelly has said he hopes his surprise appearance on RTÉ’s Dancing with the Stars will delight his parishioners and show people that priests are “ordinary guys”. The parish priest based in Oldcastle in Meath, originally from Tyrrelspass, will line up alongside reality TV celebrity Yewande Biala –…
Lord Jonathan Sumption is a well-respected British judge and historian, who has served as a Justice of the Supreme Court. But what he now says about the increasing power of lawyers in the interpretation of the law is deeply significant. I have been much impressed, this year, by his short book Trials of the State:…
Claire Fitzpatrick Irish folk musician Johnny Duhan [pictured] has revealed that he feels unable to speak openly about his Faith with fellow musicians in the industry. The spiritual world and the music world “don’t go that well together”, he said in an interview with the Christmas edition of Intercom. “Most of the people in the…
Róise McGagh Doras has called for Mount Trenchard Direct Provision Centre in Limerick to be closed immediately due to the unsuitable living conditions. These conditions make it very difficult to practice religion according to John Lannon director of Doras. “It would be extremely difficult to attend mass or engage in any kind of religious services…
Peter Costello
Michael Kelly
Chai Brady
Mary Kenny