Notebook It is 1947, and dusk is falling on the town of Drogheda. In the White Horse Inn on West St, a middle-aged writer is at work, penning a short essay. His name is Clive Staples Lewis. He had already made his name as a scholar of English literature, and as a lively proponent of…
I’m thoroughly cheesed off with media outlets telling us how great they are. Unfortunately, it’s more often the spin than the reality. So, for example, RTÉ is telling us constantly, with very slick video ads, how great they are with news, trust, integrity and journalism. And yet, in current affairs coverage, I think they are…
The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. When Jesus sent out the apostles to extend his mission, he said more about their lifestyle than what they might say (Mark 7: 7-13). As St Francis put it, preach at all times, sometimes using words. We are so bombarded today by advertising pressure, slogans and biased…
Passenger rights not protected during pandemic – report Airlines and EU member states did not fully protect passenger rights throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report by the European Court of Auditors. Travellers often lost out on money due to cancelled flights or because they were not informed about their right to be reimbursed.…
A long-standing friend invited myself and two other close acquaintances to lunch at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) recently – outside of course in accordance with Government regulations. But the sun shone and the company was convivial. As might be expected the conversation was never far from music and we recalled the RDS’ contribution to…
Dear Editor, Given the current debate about the site for the new National Maternity Hospital, it is important to ask the question that, while our country needs more hospital beds, do we really need more abortion facilities? The number of abortions increased dramatically to 6,666 in 2019. In 98% of those cases, no threat to…
Parents urge Chile president to veto bill Pro-family organisations in Chile are urging President Sebastián Piñera to veto completely the recently passed “System of Guarantees of Children’s Rights” bill. “Today the children of Chile are more defenceless than ever, thanks to the irresponsibility of parliamentarians who, knowing the content of the bill, gave it their…
Pope Francis continued to have a “satisfactory” recovery from colon surgery, and by today (Wednesday) doctors had removed his intravenous drip, the Vatican press office said. After undergoing the surgery late on Sunday at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, “the post-operative progress of His Holiness Pope Francis continues to be regular and satisfactory,” the Holy See communique…
Bishop Tom Deenihan has said he is “troubled” that the Government has intervened to cancel First Holy Communion and Confirmation ceremonies, despite assurance from State officials that places of worship are safe. He also said that parents who are disappointed by the move should make their feelings known to politicians. The Bishop of Meath was…
As parishes transfer more schools to non-religious patrons, the law must be changed to allow remaining schools to be unapologetically Catholic. Bishop Tom Deenihan told The Irish Catholic there is a need for the Government to remove a controversial law on school admissions that risks preventing Catholic schools from catering for the needs of those…
Brendan O’Regan
Michael Kelly
Chai Brady