Naming of the Bones by John F. Deane (Carcanet Press, £12.99/€14.95) Thomas McCarthy A founder of Poetry Ireland and Dedalus Press, as well as Secretary-General of the European Academy of Poetry, Achill native John F. Deane is highly unusual among our great humanist horde of world poets in that he has remained a man of…
Significant reduction in people sleeping rough in Dublin The Peter McVerry Trust has welcomed the significant reduction in the number of people sleeping rough in Dublin, down 27% year-on-year. Some 92 people were found sleeping rough in Dublin, according to figures from the Dublin Region Homeless Executive’s spring rough sleeper count, which took place end…
It’s hard for a child to have to go to bed in the middle of an evening when the rest of the family is still celebrating. Nobody wants to go to bed while everyone else is still up. No one wants to miss out on life. Remember how as a child, tired and unable to…
Peru’s Catholic bishops published a two-page plea to the country’s leaders, urging them to address the current political crisis with “greater responsibility” and take “radical measures” to fight corruption. “Our weak democracy cannot stand the instability any longer,” the bishops wrote. “It is crucial that both the executive branch and the legislative branch bring together people who…
Personal Profile Just five years ago, Aontú candidate for Belfast South Luke McCann had fallen away from the faith of his childhood. Now, in the midst of his election campaign, he took a break “in the thick of it” to go on a retreat over the Easter weekend. He puts the change down to the…
There are a number of films available on Amazon dealing with the theme of sexual and other types of abuse. It’s a subject we hear quite a lot about nowadays. While the material doesn’t generally make for comfortable viewing it’s something we shouldn’t shy away from. Miss Violence was widely acclaimed at the Venice film…
I used to avoid television dramas based on true stories – impossible to know what was added for dramatic effect, and the ending, if you were lucky enough to get a satisfying one, was often known already. Recent dramas have changed my mind – these shows are really well made, there are satisfying twists and…
Plea for Catholic schools to foster peace Michael Kelly in Rome Pope Francis has urged Catholic schools in Ireland to form students to work for mutual coexistence and peace in a fractured world. The Pontiff took time out of his busy Easter Week schedule to meet with representatives from the Global Researchers Advancing Catholic Education…
A world after Liberalism: Philosophers of the Radical Right, by Matthew Rose (Yale University Press, £20.00/€25.00) Frank Litton Samuel Francis was a well-respected voice in conservative circles in the United States. He won several national awards for his column in the right-leaning Washington Times. Until, that is, 1995 when he went too far in his…
A new programme for young couples is seeking to help them grow individually, as a couple and in communion with God and their neighbours, writes Jason Osborne Once the wedding is done and dusted, couples are often left adrift, figuring marriage out on their own. While it can be done, as with everything else on…
Ruadhán Jones
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan
Michael Kelly