The recent publication of the programme for government includes a commitment to “ensure that all maternity hospitals provide equitable access to termination of pregnancy services.” This objective has raised concerns. Eilís Mulroy, spokesperson for the Pro Life Campaign, speaking to The Irish Catholic explained that “the new government has not made any commitments such as…
A priest who also dons the black shirt and whistle as a Gaelic football referee has said that he hopes the recent rule changes to Gaelic football, employed at last week’s league games, will speed up play that he notices “has slowed down” games he’s officiated over the last number of years. Speaking to The…
The recent unrest involving the future of the Franciscan Friary in Clonmel seems to have come to an end after an undertaking was given by the Abbey House of Prayer Group to end their sit-in last Thursday during High Court proceedings for trespass, but the Mayor of Clonmel is still hoping that mediation can be…
Denigrating the contribution of religious congregations is fashionable nowadays, but a nun’s wise intervention helped me secure a scholarship, writes Liam Lally My first contact with ‘the nuns’ occurred on a Saturday in June 1964 when, along with a crowd of 6th class boys and girls, I sat an entrance exam to gain a place…
I like it when I come across someone that defies expectations, someone with unexpected ideas or unusual hobbies. Mind you there can be unpleasant surprises, like when you discover a close friend is a racist… this is not autobiographical! Barbara Dickson is a famous Scottish pop and folk singer, and she is also a committed…
There is still much uncertainty in Syria. A month and a half after the ousting of Bashar al Assad and the seizure of power by Abu Mohammed al-Jolani and his Islamist rebel group Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (Hts), on the one hand scepticism seems to prevail, the fear of a leap backwards towards an imposition of…
John Bosco was born on August 16, 1815 in Becchi, a small hamlet in the municipality of Castelnuovo d’Asti (now Castelnuovo Don Bosco), into a family of poor farmers. His father, Francesco, died when John was only two years old, leaving his mother, Margherita, to raise him and his siblings. Margherita inspired her children with…
Following a number of seasonal events, the NSO came back on track with its 2024/25 series at the National Concert Hall in a Russian programme featuring South American conductor Diego Matheuz and French pianist Lise de la Salle. With Rakhmaninov’s ever popular 2nd Piano Concerto and Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony (Leningrad), I found the relationship between…
Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Pope Francis emphasised that the horrors of Auschwitz “must never be forgotten or denied” while also making passionate pleas for peace in current global conflicts. Speaking after the Angelus prayer on Sunday, the Pontiff noted that this year marks 80 years since the liberation of the German Nazi concentration and…
Think Christmas was over weeks ago? Think again. The Feast of the Presentation officially closes the Christmas season, 40 days after the Nativity, so there’s still one last chance to wish the world “Merry Christmas!” It is also one final opportunity in our liturgy to reflect on a vitally important motif of this season: the…
Renata Milán Morales
Brandon Scott
Brendan O’Regan