Michael Kelly is an award-winning writer and broadcaster specialising in religious and social affairs. Born and raised in Northern Ireland, he attended the Pontifical University St Patrick’s College, Maynooth where he obtained degrees in philosophy and theology and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome where he studied social institutional communications. From 2002-2005 he was an Editor in the Central Information Service of Vatican Radio. In this role, he travelled with Pope St John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI on overseas trips. In 2005, he returned to Dublin to take up the position of Deputy Editor with The Irish Catholic newspaper, succeeding as Editor in 2012. He is a regular contributor to programmes on RTÉ, BBC, UTV, CNN and Al Jazeera. He also have extensive experience offering media training and coaching in the voluntary sector. Mr Kelly is a weekly columnist with Ireland’s largest-selling secular newspaper the Irish Independent and has been published in The Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, The Irish News, The Guardian, Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic World Report, the National Catholic Reporter and the National Catholic Register. He writes from Ireland for Catholic News Service of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Micheal finished his stint as Editor of The Irish Catholic in January 2024 and has taken up the position of Director of Public Affairs for Aid to the Church in Need Ireland.
A Co. Cavan priest who has not prevented parishioners from attending Mass in the church has been issued with a €500 fine by gardaí The Irish Catholic can reveal. Fr PJ Hughes, Mullahoran parish in Co. Cavan has been warned by authorities in the past that the fact that the doors are open and a small number…
As we celebrate our national patron who brought hope to a dark and troubled land, the sites associated with his mission are provoking fresh interest, writes Michael Kelly Perhaps one of the paradoxes of Covid-19 restrictions has been that March 17 being stripped of the parades and green beer, has allowed space for a deeper reflection…
The northern bishops have announced what they describe as “a cautious return to public worship” from March 26, in time for the celebration of Holy Week and Easter. However, they warned that people who feel vulnerable should consider carefully if now is the time for them to return or if they should continue to join…
The Archbishop of Dublin has called on the Government to assure people of faith that the right to worship will be prioritised in easing Covid-19 restrictions. Archbishop Dermot Farrell also said that the number of people permitted to attend Mass when restrictions are eased should not be “randomly determined”. He described current restrictions on funerals…
Many Catholics know little about the good work of the Knights of St Columbanus. The incoming leader tells Michael Kelly he is keen to redress this When the Order of the Knights of St Columbanus was established in Belfast in 1915, it was a very challenging landscape. Many businesses in areas like Belfast were effectively ‘closed…
They say a picture paints a thousand words, and if that’s true the image of Pope Francis at the weekend standing in a bombed-out church in Iraq speaks more powerfully than any of the thousands of column inches that have been and will be written about the trip. As images go, it would be hard…
The Church in Ireland is to hold a national synod within the next five years to – amongst other things – hear the voices of people who have left the Church. According to a communique issued following this week’s general assembly of the Irish bishops’ conference the Church leaders believe: “A synodal pathway leading to…
The Catholic bishops have hit out at Taoiseach Micheál Martin for not responding to a request to permit Mass for Easter almost three weeks after a meeting to discuss the vital issue. In their strongest intervention yet on public worship, the Church leaders insisted on Tuesday that ongoing restrictions banning people attending Mass would be…
by Cindy Wooden Amid the rubble and bombed out remains of four churches destroyed by Islamic State militants, Pope Francis paid tribute to Iraqi Christians who endured persecution and even death. But visiting Mosul and Qaraqosh in northern Iraq on Sunday, he also urged the Christians to live up to their faith and honour the…
by Cindy Wooden Travelling to the birthplace of Abraham, Pope Francis urged believers to prove their faith in the one God and father of all by accepting one another as brothers and sisters. From a stage set on a dusty hill overlooking the archaeological dig at Ur, Abraham’s birthplace about ten miles from modern-day Nasiriyah,…