In “fighting the battles of the past, we learn little”, Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown said in his new year’s homily, ahead of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday – also called the Bogside Massacre – happened January 30, 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, when British soldiers shot and killed 14…
The bishops’ new year addresses called for dialogue and education around elections, commemorations and the vaccine gap, writes Ruadhán Jones A number of Irish bishops dedicated their new year’s addresses to questions of justice and peace in Ireland in 2022. The year ahead will see elections in Northern Ireland, centenaries and commemorations across the island of…
Personal Profile Tony Foy is executive director of Net Ministries Ireland, a Catholic youth ministry organisation and part of the ‘parallel (or para-)Church’ which Tony says helped foster his own faith. From his youth to his adult life, Tony encountered Christ in a variety of lay organisations, that worked parallel to the sacraments. Brought up…
The Primate of All-Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin has said he would back a border poll. Dr Martin added that he “would like to see a united Ireland”, saying all the political leaders North and south must “open up questions of identity and belonging, and to honestly face them”. These questions of identity and belonging are…
Catholics in Ireland have an important role to play in fostering the “soul of Europe”, Bishop Noel Treanor told The Irish Catholic. Fostering this soul is a “challenge and imperative to work for the promotion of the good [via the European project], for the realisation of what’s true and global and enhancing”, said Bishop Treanor,…
“I sometimes see people wearing shirts that say ex-Catholic or something,” Harry Lennix tells me over Zoom, taking a break from filming season nine of the exceptionally popular TV-thriller The Blacklist. “But I don’t see how that’s possible in my own life. Even though I have from time to time studied other religions, I could…
At a time when the European Union is facing pressure from Brexit in the west and debates regarding the EU’s fundamental values in the East, the Church has an important role to play in promoting the European project, Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor tells The Irish Catholic. The inspiration for the European project…
The Catholic chaplaincy at Queen’s University Belfast delivered over 300 shoeboxes containing essentials and Christmas treats to Belfast Homeless Services during the festive season. QUB students, their families and friends “have been incredibly generous in their support of this worthwhile cause”, the chaplaincy said in a post on Facebook. Significant donations came from the Ards…
The Catholic faith is important to Larry Donnelly and he hopes to pass it on to his son, writes Ruadhán Jones If you live in Ireland and follow American politics, you will likely know Larry Donnelly. With his distinctive Boston accent, he has become a household name due to appearances on Irish radio and television…
Christmas music is the golden thread running through John Rutter’s life, he tells Ruadhán Jones If you haven’t heard of John Rutter CBE, you are still likely to have heard something by him. The 76-year-old English composer is arguably the best-known English creator of Christmas carols alive today. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, he explained…