Taxpayer-funded lobbyists have had far too much influence for too long, writes Michael Kelly One of the standout moments for me in the national count centre in Dublin Castle on Saturday afternoon was a brief exchange between Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín. The referendum result hadn’t been called yet, but the mood…
No one should be afraid of hearing different opinions
Many universities are fast becoming cold houses for people who want genuine debate, writes Michael Kelly I had the pleasure recently of speaking in a debate organised by the Literary and Scientific Society at Queen’s University, Belfast. It was a civilised and convivial occasion, and we were debating the motion ‘this house believes that society…
The kids are not okay…and it’s time to sound the alarm bell
Two neighbouring parishes that I am aware of recently carried out a survey of younger parishioners.Organised through the local secondary schools, the research sought to gauge the general interest and engagement of young people aged 13-15 in the life of the parishes. Perhaps encouragingly for this age group, 73% in the anonymous described themselves as…
Younger men and women are increasingly divided by politics
Instead of trying to ‘fix’ young men, maybe it’s time we gave them a break and listened to them, writes Michael Kelly Back in the innocent days of the 1990s, when there were only two sexes, US-based relationship counsellor John Gray wrote a best-selling book to try to help couples understand one another better and…
Dismissing people as racists and dog whistlers will push them to the far-right
Ireland is not full, but public services are creaking and the political elite will fuel community strife if it doesn’t listen, writes Michael Kelly There’s a now iconic scene in the 1990s hit sitcom Father Ted where, after a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, the eponymous Fr Ted Crilly finds himself accused of being hostile towards newcomers…
Giant steps needed as new D&C Bishop takes reigns
Despite enormous challenges there are many green shoots, and the process of reform and renewal is already underway, writes Michael Kelly It’s unlikely that mandarins in the Vatican pay a great deal of attention to political news coming out of Belfast, but there was a certain symmetry that Down and Connor’s new bishop was appointed…
Jesus was a refugee briefly, then he had a family home
Family is a key Catholic value, so why don’t we hear more from the Church on family homes? writes Michael Kelly I only met former Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald once in my life. It was in late 2007, and though out of office for more than 20 years at that stage, he swiftly proceeded to give…
Sometimes State ‘care’ can be the most dangerous place for vulnerable children
It’s right to expose historic instances of abuse, but we can’t obsess about it at the expense of vulnerable children in need today writes Michael Kelly It hasn’t been a great week for Minister Roderick O’Gorman’s Department for Integration. Although, in fairness, one could probably write that any given week over his turbulent tenure…
Covid inquiry should look at how quickly we turned on one another
Officials seem intent on mercy being the guiding principle, but that virtue was in short supply during pandemic writes Michael Kelly “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” is one of the best-known of the Beatitudes taught by Jesus. It’s a good mantra to live by, and even people who mightn’t describe themselves…
Strangers in a strange land
In just five years, we will mark the bicentenary of Catholic emancipation. Four years after that, in 2032, it will be 1,600 years since St Patrick’s mission to convert the Irish to Christianity. Catholic emancipation, of course, marked a turning point in the fortunes of Irish Catholicism after centuries of brutal persecution and repression by…