When Maud Gonne MacBride – our national icon, and forever muse to Yeats – attended a socialist political meeting in London in her youth, she was dismayed by the outcome. After being addressed by Scots socialist leader Keir Hardie, the crowd of trade unionists and fiery socialists assembled in Trafalgar Square affirmed their commitment to…
It has been reported that religion was the most popular choice by secondary school students as the subject they would “like to see more of” in school. In a survey carried out by Amárach Research, religion came out top at 34% with psychology and drama “also mentioned frequently.” This is a very welcome statistic, particularly…
Courtney Mares Pope Francis commended an American chaplain’s work with death row inmates as a ministry that reflects the “deepest reality of the Gospel” in a new book preface on the death penalty. The Pope personally penned the introduction to “A Christian on Death Row: My Commitment to Those Condemned” by Dale Recinella, a lawyer…
Loughgilly Parish in Armagh, with its parishioners still beaming after the county’s famous All-Ireland victory last month, hosted its annual Family Fun Day last Sunday, with young and old coming together to take part in a variety of games and celebrate the strong faith-community that exists in the village. This year’s Fun Day coincided with…
Parishioners attending the 11.30 Mass in the Church of the Irish Martyrs in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal on Sunday were left “shocked” and “petrified” after an altercation took place in the porch of the church just before the Gospel was about to be pronounced. The Mass was interrupted and parishioners were asked to remain inside the…
Fr Paul Murphy, the army chaplain stabbed multiple times on his way into Renmore army barracks in Galway last Thursday night, was very fortunate to escape with his life, and it seems, without any long-term, life-altering incidents. The alleged assailant was a 16-year-old who cannot be named because of his age. Gardai have established that…
Francesca Pollio Fenton Many are familiar with the story of Fr Edward J. Flanagan from the 1938 Oscar-winning film ‘Boys Town’ starring Spencer Tracy. Now a new documentary on the famous priest promises a deeper look into Flanagan’s life when it hits cinemas for one night only on October 8. ‘Heart of a Servant: The…
Parishioners of St Gabriel’s parish, Dollymount in Dublin flocked to the newly restored statue of Our Lady at the official opening after Mass on Sunday. Several years ago the parish’s maintenance team were clearing out almost 60 years of abandoned items from the bell tower when they came across the very dilapidated statue. Fr Pat…
Three decades on from the IRA ceasefire, it’s right to recall the role played by prominent priests writes Michael Kelly It would become an iconic image of the terrible civil conflict on our island we euphemistically call ‘the Troubles’. Redemptorist Fr Alec Reid kneeling reciting the last rites for two British soldiers who had just…
The French government urged “extreme vigilance” in the face of a “very high” terrorist threat to religious demonstrations and places of worship on the solemnity of the Assumption, one of the most holy days in the Catholic calendar. Gérald Darmanin, the French minister of the interior, warned regional officials in a Tuesday message through the…
Mary Kenny
Brandon Scott
David Quinn
Chai Brady
Michael Kelly