Names of streets and parks are the least of Dublin’s worries Dear Editor, on a recent trip to Dublin, I was mulling over the obsession some politicians nowadays have over changing the names of roads and parks, which, according to them, do not reflect the Irish Republic. We discuss changing the names of roads, etc.,…
I doubt if many of us have a devotion to St Hilary of Poitiers and yet, we are indebted to him for being Christians today. Hilary was born in France at the beginning of the fourth century and was elected Bishop of Poitiers in 350 AD. His time as bishop was marked by controversy and…
Since 2012, I have been part of a gathering on Christmas Eve. It is a short and simple gathering at the empty Crib. The intention is to invite younger families to take a little time out from what can be a busy day of last-minute preparations. The hope is that this little bit of time…
The former Governor of Mountjoy Prison, John Lonergan, has spent over four decades inside Ireland’s penal system. Yet, more than a decade into retirement, his focus has shifted from prison walls to family homes — and what he sees now worries him just as deeply. These days, the Tipperary native travels the country giving talks…
“My thirteen-year-old son is calm and well-balanced. He is kind to people. At school, he faced a case of bullying from one of his Ukrainian peers. That boy bullied him and insulted him at every opportunity for two years,” says Siobhan. “Another Irish boy witnessed this but never intervened – he only encouraged such behaviour.”…
Today the Three Kings are an essential part of the story of Christmas time as we tell to ourselves and our children. They have a part as the first givers of Yuletide gifts. They appear in parish and school plays and presentations across Christendom, and even at times in countries not usually thought of as…
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 29 (28); Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17 ===== “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” Matt 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptised by him. Matt3:14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptised by you,…
For my first column of the year, I normally write about my Christmas and New Year viewing and there’s plenty to write about. Last week there was Daniel O’Connell: The Emancipator (RTÉ One), an excellent documentary from Ruan Magan, exploring the life and legacy of O’Connell on the 250th anniversary of his birth. Narrated well…
Failure, they say, is an orphan, whereas success has a thousand fathers. Who should we credit for people’s fame – themselves or the people behind them? Would Barry McGuigan have got where he was without Barney Eastwood? I thought of McGuigan as I watched Giant (15A), a pleasant film about the career of another pint-sized…
Young Catholics are not looking for easy answers or a watered-down faith, according to Bishop Fintan Gavin of Cork and Ross. Instead, he says, they want clarity, challenge, and to be taken seriously by the Church. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Bishop Gavin said one of the clearest messages to emerge from listening to young…
Peter Costello
Brendan O’Regan
Aubrey Malone