In the GAA, certain names endure for the brilliance they displayed between the white lines. Rackard. Mackey. Ring. Keher. Canning. Carey. The list of legends who have illuminated our games is long and ever-growing. All the more remarkable, then, that one of the most respected and recognisable figures in Gaelic games is a man who…
Gilbert K. Chesterton, the renowned Catholic apologist, was great friends with George Bernard Shaw, the famous playwright, even though Shaw, an agnostic, had major issues with Chesterton’s belief in God and especially with him becoming a Roman Catholic. Indeed, when he heard that Chesterton had become a Roman Catholic, he wrote him a letter expressing…
Pope Leo XIV said his primary role as leader of the Church is confirming Catholics in their faith and sharing the Gospel with the world, not resolving global crises. Speaking to Crux senior correspondent Elise Ann Allen in the first sit-down interview of his pontificate, Leo also said he was “trying not to continue to…
After well over a century under construction, Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica is ready to raise its immense central tower and become the tallest Christian church in Europe. The basilica’s General Director Xavier Martínez said on September 18 that “the tower will be finished at the end of this year or the beginning of 2026.” This…
Political generosity in the upcoming presidential election Dear Editor, In the interest of democracy, local authority council elected members should be allowed a free vote when it comes to the nomination of presidential candidates. They should not be fettered by political party loyalties which block potential candidates. The constitutional requirements were never intended to be…
Q: I’ve noticed that in many flourishing Catholic communities with a lot of young adults (such as some Catholic university communities, or parishes in some big cities with an active young adult ministry), marriage preparation programs often seem to go far beyond what you find in most parishes. I’m thinking of things like retreats, serious catechesis, good mentorship programs…
A different kind of power: a memoir, by Jacinda Ardern (Macmillan, £25 / €19.99) Jacinda Ardern was aged 37 when she became the fortieth prime minister of New Zealand in 2017, the youngest person to hold that office since 1856. She was the third woman to fill the role. This memoir traces her humble…
Last week I had the privilege of attending the National Ploughing Championships in my home county of Offaly, where I represented Self Help Africa, the charity I work with. It was a joy to be part of the Global Solidarity Tent, supported by Irish Aid and launched by Minister Neale Richmond, alongside five other inspiring…
“On a hill far away, stood the old rugged cross”, so begins the well-known and much-loved hymn that takes us to the shadow and the light found on and through Calvary. In this month of September, we celebrate the Feast Day of The Triumph of The Cross. It is more accurately referred to as The…
Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe, by Bill Bryson (Penguin Random House, €15.40 / £9.99) Anthony Gaughan Bill Bryson is an American humourist. Like other comedians he portrays himself as woebegone, put upon and the butt of those who work in bars, restaurants and hotels. His style is breezy and entertaining. Bill writes travel…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser