Bean Counters: The Triumph of the Accountants and How They Broke Capitalism by Richard Brooks (Atlantic, £18.99) Peter Hegarty Brooks’ theme is “the demise of sound accounting”. Slipshod work by the ‘Big Four’ companies that dominate the profession – PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and KPMG – have brought it into disrepute. The author, an investigative journalist…
The Notebook I remember the night Pope Francis walked out on the balcony overlooking St Peter’s. My heart sank. He looked old to me and a little lost in his new clothes. I don’t know what I expected but somewhere, in the back of my mind, I had an image of a younger man…
A documentary which falsely accused an Irish missionary of child sexual abuse and fathering a child while in Kenya was the sole instance of irresponsible journalism by RTÉ cited by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at a New York event, Mr Varadkar has said. Speaking in the Dáil about his controversial comments, the Taoiseach said: “My only…
Personal Profile Matthew Carlson speaks with environmental activist Orla Farrell Most people on the street don’t think much when they pass a tree. They walk past it without any thought or regard to it. Orla Farrell is not one of those people. In fact, she is one of the directors for an organisation called…
Those planning to drive to Dublin for the Papal Mass on August 26 in the Phoenix Park should be aware there will be some major diversions and road closures in place. The Government has advised travellers to leave “plenty of time” for any journeys to and across Dublin City from 6am to 11pm on the…
Dear Editor, I was glad to read in your paper Fr James Martin’s words of advice on how to welcome gay people into our church communities (IC 5/7/2018). His direction that we should genuinely listen to gay people is, sadly, the sort of thing that’s too often dismissed by those who would much rather talk…
Prayer Book Launch from Knock Shrine A brand new Knock book of prayers will be available on July 14 at the Rest and Care Centre in Knock Shrine. The prayer book will feature new prayers from Fr Richard Gibbons, who has been the rector at Knock Shrine for over five years. Fr Gibbons draws on his own personal knowledge and…
Homelessness remains one of Ireland’s biggest challenges for asylum seekers and those trying to leave Direction Provision, a new study has revealed. The recently released Irish Refugee Council 2017 ‘Impact Report’ shows that out of 3000 people who were assisted on a wide variety of issues such as education access and policy and legal research,…
A prominent pro-life group has accused Health Minister Simon Harris of repeatedly raising the issue of creating exclusion zones outside abortion clinics for no other reason than to depict pro-life people in a poor light and to take the focus off the extreme abortion law that received Government approval yesterday. Commenting on the Minister’s repeated…
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran (75), an experienced diplomat, died in the US where he was receiving medical treatment. The French head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue had been living with Parkinson’s disease, and led a Vatican delegation to Saudi Arabia in April. He died in Hartford, Connecticut. It was his role as ‘proto-deacon’ or…