by the Books Editor When they were in doubt about a book to give a child or young person, our parents, grandparents and great grandparents gave a classic and in doing so followed an important tradition. But it is one with for some people disconcerting results. The philosopher L.P. Jacks, the once eminent editor of…
Month: December 2021
Finding God and your songwriting voice
The Devil rewards those who leave the Church, musician Johnny Duhan, tells Chai Brady Being an openly Catholic musician comes with its challenges, it may even lead to the loss of friends but for Johnny Duhan his Christmas hope is that those who drifted from the Church like he once did come to the same…
Looking at funeral rituals through rose-tinted glasses
Have you ever noticed how faulty your memories can be? Think of the summers you enjoyed growing up: did the sun always shine for long days of fun? That’s how I remember my growing-up days too, though meteorological reports for those years show just as much rain then as now. But I only remember the good…
Stollen inspired Christmas cinnamon rolls
Sweet Treats One Christmas food tradition I enjoy is a bread from Germany called stollen. It is a sweet bread with marzipan, currants and sultanas in it, and is really delicious toasted and buttered. I absolutely love having cinnamon rolls for special occasions, and thought that a cinnamon roll would be the perfect way to…
A prophet is never accepted in his own land
Dear Editor, Dr John Murray is so right when he states that “there exists a huge need for teaching Catholic doctrine clearly, wholistically, energetically, and honestly, and calling all Catholics, and indeed all people willing to listen, to personal conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ” [ The Irish Catholic – November 25, 2021]. It…
Derry diocese celebrates St Columba’s 1500th anniversary
Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown celebrated Mass in Long Tower Church, Derry, to mark 1,500 years since the birth of famous Irish saint, St Columba. Born in 521, the saint, warrior and poet – also known as Colmcille – was integral to the development of the early Church in Ireland. At the end of the…
Television and radio highlights
Christmas Crackers Keep Christ in Christmas, a Catholics Come Home special presentation EWTN Saturday December 18, 7pm also Thursday (night) December 23, 3.30am A tour behind the scenes of the making of Santa’s Priority, a Christmas evangomercial and discover what a small group of Catholics are doing to combat the secular war on Christmas and…
The joy of the Visitation
The Sunday Gospel Children are counting down the days. After this Sunday, only six more days till Christmas. Excitement is bubbling up. I could feel it myself when watching the television commercial where a little boy keeps asking “Will he really come?” Of course, we all think that he is waiting for Santa Claus. But…
TDs ‘encouraged’ despite Govt blocking foetal pain law
Laois-Offaly TD Carol Nolan said she is “extremely encouraged” by the support the Rural Independents group has received from Oireachtas colleagues for their foetal pain relief bill despite Government moves to block it from progressing past the second stage. The Government this morning put forward an amendment to stop the bill from progressing, citing the…
PSNI ‘hooded men’ decision unlawful court rules
The decision by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to discontinue an investigation into the alleged torture of the group of Catholics known as the ‘hooded men’ in 2014 was unlawful, the UK’s Supreme Court has ruled. In a decision handed down this morning (Wednesday) in London, the court stated that the treatment of…

Peter Costello
Chai Brady




Ruadhán Jones
Brendan O’Regan


