Restrictions are lifting and spring is upon us, so there’s no better time to take to the sea for a swim writes Jason Osborne Availing of the improved weather in recent weeks, I made my way to the nearby coastline for a plunge into the icy waters. Rarely does an activity result in such a…
Galway-based businessman Declan Ganley has said he intends to “press on” with his challenge to the restrictions on public worship, despite the return to public Mass on May 10. Mr Ganley’s case was postponed again at its last hearing until May 18. “The bans that were put in place were in our view unconstitutional and…
The generation of human-animal embryos exists in a “legislative vacuum”, a TD has discovered on the back of a parliamentary question concerning the procedure. This comes as a team of American and Chinese scientists recently created a human-monkey embryo by injecting human stem cells into monkey blastocytes, some of which were kept alive for up…
The landscape remains grim for those hoping to tie the knot with what remains of 2021, writes Jason Osborne Come Monday, 50 guests will be allowed to attend weddings, but indoor receptions will remain capped at six guests while 15 will be permitted for outdoor celebrations. It’s been alluded to that numbers for receptions will…
President Higgins has responded to criticism of his recent comments about education in the North, saying that the position was taken “out of context”, rejecting the idea that he had insulted anybody. Mr Higgins told The Late Late Show that separating children in the North according to their religious denominations is to abandon them “to…
Chimeras are moving out of the stories and into the world with the latest scientific advances but they appear no less monstrous, writes Jason Osborne Chimeras once stalked the landscape of legend and myth. In Greek mythology they were one of the more famous kinds of monster, composed of the parts of more than one…
Studying is difficult at the best of times, but especially as the weather turns for the better, writes Jason Osborne A number of friends of mine have been settling down to study recently as one test or another reared its head. The studies range from college to exams for work, but the fundamentals remain the same. In ordinary…
EXCLUSIVE Theologians criticise Government over-reach Chai Brady and Jason Osborne Archbishop Dermot Farrell has insisted that parishes in Dublin must abandon plans to hold First Holy Communion and Confirmation ceremonies, warning that it may be the autumn before public health rules allow the celebrations to go ahead. In a letter to priests obtained by The…
Joe Walsh Tours announced its closure on Tuesday, with directors thanking both customers and staff in a statement. Established in 1961 by Bangor-man Joe Walsh, the family owned-and-operated tour provider was famous in Catholic circles for its travel to pilgrimage destinations such as Lourdes and Medjugorje. Commenting on the decision to cease trading, the directors…
Implementing sustainable practices at home is tricky, but the increased time we spend there now is an incentive, writes Jason Osborne It’s interesting that caring for the environment is such a contentious issue in many Catholic circles these days – although I think it’s often the condescending manner in which the message is sometimes communicated…