Six out of the top 10 baby names chosen for boys last year in Ireland were from the Bible according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). There was 677 Jacks born in Ireland last year, making it the most popular boys name in 2019. Jack is a derivative of John, and has been…
A Pakistani Catholic who was on death row for eight years and tortured after she was falsely accused of blasphemy before being released last year has said she’s “forgiven everyone”. Ms Bibi’s case was followed closely by charities who fight against Christian persecution around the world, who have consistently condemned Pakistan’s severe blasphemy laws. Regarding…
St Patrick, the most famous of the Patron Saints of Ireland worldwide. Not quite hailing from Ireland himself but from the United Kingdom, he is credited with driving the ‘snakes’ out of Ireland. Or bringing Christianity to the Island and pushing out Paganism if you’d like to be more literal. One might wonder if he…
In business as in life, one of the killer phrases is “we’ve never done it that way before”. In the Church context we might well add: “We tried that before and it didn’t work.” Those who seek to calibrate our lives and actions by the light of the Gospel would do well to be wary…
Renewal is a continuous journey requiring humility, patience and prayer to discern God’s will, Pope Francis told members of Regnum Christi and the Legionaries of Christ. The communities’ “journey of renewal is not over because a change in mentality in individuals and in an institution requires a lot of time for assimilation and, therefore, continuous…
Catholic Bishops of Northern Ireland have stated Accord should not have to provide marriage related services to those contracting in same-sex marriage. Accord told this paper (IC 13/02/20) that they would not turn away any person from their counselling services if they came to seek help. The bishop’s response to the Northern Ireland Office Consultation…
The wonders of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel will come alive in a unique event in Dublin next week with renowned art historian Liz Lev. Newman’s University Church on St Stephen’s Green will play host to the event on Monday, March 9 which will see guests walked through the art masterpiece that is the jewel of…
The View With one election over, we await another: the Seanad election. Of the 60 seats in the senate, six are allocated to the university panel. The other 54 are filled by the Taoiseach’s nominees and those nominated by the Vocational Panels. The university panel electorate is small, at only 175,000 between Trinity and NUI.…
Singing priest Fr Ray Kelly continues to defy all odds after making it into the quarter-finals of RTE1’s Dancing With The Stars this weekend. Fr Kelly was saved by the public vote once again after dancing the quickstep to I’m a Believer by the Monkees on March 1. The priest and his pro dance partner…
Cork Harbour by Cal McCarthy (Merrion Press, €29.95) Cal McCarthy’s important book on Cork Harbour, the second largest natural harbour in the world, is beautifully shaped into three sections: Military Development, Commercial Development and Migration. The period covered is from 1700 to 1918. Hence there are no references to the role of Spike Island as…
Chai Brady
Michael Kelly
Maria Steen