Editor’s note Three weeks ago we featured this interview with Fr John Murray by columnist Martina Purdy and want to share it again. Fr Murray is recovering after a brutal attack as he heard confession in Downpatrick. Fr Murray had just retired from his role as PP, was recovering from illness and was preparing to…
Before Mike Nesbitt entered politics, he was an accomplished journalist, respected for his forensic skills on live radio. “He was a rottweiler,” recalled one former colleague. “I wouldn’t have wanted to be interrogated by him.” Now it is Nesbitt, the Health Minister, who must come up with the answers.And it would appear he is more…
In May, a major survey carried out by Amarach Research on behalf of the Iona Institute found that Gen Z respondents (18-24-years-olds) are a lot more open to religion than their Millennial counterparts (25-34-year-olds). While only 6% of those aged 25-34 consider themselves religious, this jumps to 17% among 18-24-year-olds. While this is markedly lower…
For more than two decades, a prominent sister-led coalition has raised awareness at the United Nations on a host of pressing global issues – most recently on homelessness – and made its mark on deliberations at the world body. But now the coalition will end its ministry by the end of the year. UNANIMA International is a…
There was a time, not long ago, when elite sport demanded sacrifice with little regard for the soul behind the jersey. No nutritionist to flag sudden weight loss. No psychologist to question a dip in confidence. No manager asking how your life outside the white lines was going. Tony Óg Regan remembers those years well.…
A thousand kilometres from the town of Dundalk lies the final resting place of a remarkable young Irish priest who gave his life in the service of others during the Second World War. Buried in the churchyard of the Église Saint-Martin in the village of Ussy, Normandy, his grave is marked by a simple headstone:…
The new text is not ideologically motivated, but rather reflects natural developments in modern English usage, Chai Brady hears A new edition of the lectionary — the book from which Scripture is read at Mass — is close to the final draft for the Church in Ireland, marking the most significant liturgical Scripture revision in…
Popes Francis and Leo have come from a similar missionary and pastoral experience, so to overlook the influence the Latin American Church had on them would be a mistake as both were formed through the active participation of its peoples. Their experiences of Church recognise the mission of all the baptised, ‘Pobal De’ (People of…
Each summer, newspapers like to suggest books people can read during your holiday time, so I am going to come up with a suggestion that you might think is daunting at first, and that is to pick up and read something by Leo Tolstoy, rated by many as possibly the greatest writer of all time.…
Government redress schemes are undoubtedly a good thing. They provide the opportunity for the successor governments of past duty-bearers to provide something beyond superficial apologies on behalf of the State. Such apologies, while useful, are not real apologies. They do not involve any genuine accountability or acceptance of culpability on behalf of individuals who committed…
Martina Purdy
Breda O'Brien
Chai Brady
David Quinn