The Enchantment of Mammon: How Capitalism became the Religion of Modernity by Eugene McCarraher (The Belknap Press / Harvard University Press, $US39.95/£31.95) Frank Litton This is a vitally important book, likely to attract considerable attention among critics and readers. I reckon it could have an impact similar to Alasdair MacIntyre’s After Virtue back in 1997. Certainly…
Medical Matters Last September the Medical Council issued warnings about the over-prescribing of medications for anxiety and insomnia. Belonging to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines, they first took prominence in 1963 with the arrival of Valium, a safer and better alternative to hitherto existing hypnotics. Its use skyrocketed along with newer versions in…
Matchmaking in Modern Ireland Romance might be something you’ve contemplated recently, with the week that’s in. Valentine’s Day, while a bit of a card holiday and having no real connection to St Valentine – as Colm explained in ‘Questions of Faith’ a few weeks ago (IC 30/01/20) – can be a nice day to appreciate…
Thirty years ago, John Jungblut wrote a short pamphlet entitled, On Hallowing Our Diminishments. It’s a treatise suggesting ways we might frame the humiliations and diminishments that beset us through circumstance, age and accidents so that, despite the humiliation they bring, we can place them under a certain canopy so as to take away their…
Make Rome a city of fraternity and peace – Pope Pope Francis has urged residents of Rome to make the Eternal City a place of solidarity, peace and a “home for all”. The Pope made his plea at the opening ceremony for the 150th anniversary of the declaration of ‘Rome Capitale’, which was read out by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. The…
Bring your imagination If you happen to be in the south of the country near Cork city there is a great opportunity available to get creative at The Glucksman contemporary art museum in University College Cork. They are running a free art workshop on Sunday afternoons between 3 and 4pm every week up until Sunday…
In 1803 Emanuel Schikaneder, who collaborated with Mozart on The Magic Flute but was then director of Vienna’s Theater an der Wien, approached Beethoven with an operatic libretto – Vestas Feuer (Vestal Flame). Initially the composer reacted favourably and completed almost two scenes before becoming disenchanted and laying it aside. However, two of its arias…
Green Fingers God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures. – Francis Bacon It is estimated that by 2050, 66% of the world’s population will live in cities and a recent study shows the average American adult spends 93% of their time indoors. A recipe for an unhealthy…
Someone at the weekend asked me if I am optimistic about the future of the Church in Ireland. I replied that I preferred to use the word ‘hopeful’. In our regular discourse, we often use the words hopeful and optimistic interchangeably. But, in the Bible hope and optimism are not the same thing. Unlike optimism,…
As I wrote a few weeks ago, I’ve always thought that religious belief and practice has to make sense on a human level. One of our human characteristics seems to be a need for ritual. Some rituals are faith related, but when the ritual lingers after the faith has been left behind I feel there’s…
Dr Kevin McCarroll
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Paul Gargan
Michael Kelly
Brendan O’Regan