Petra Conroy The word is beginning to spread in the town lands and parishes around the country: the World Meeting of Families (WMOF2018) is coming to Ireland next year, and there are high hopes that Pope Francis is coming too. Naturally, news of a possible visit from the Holy Father captures a lot of…

In spite of his surname, Columban Fr Tomás King, has lived a life far removed from social prestige and wealth, spending the past 25 years away from his Irish home, in a country which suffers from internal political disputes, severe poverty and ongoing violence. His journey from working with the Traveller community in Galway to…

Cancer diagnosis rates are rising, but so too are survival rates, writes Mags Gargan Every 15 minutes someone in Ireland hears the words ‘You have cancer’. It is a disease that has touched every family in every community in Ireland. The rates of cancer diagnosis are rising but so too are survival rates. This year…

A three-hour Mass probably wouldn’t go down well in the average Irish parish, but according to a priest from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Ireland, his congregation can’t get enough. It’s not only the length of Mass that makes Ethiopian Orthodoxy different. Almost all the liturgy is musical and has copious singing between the priest…

Breast milk donations needed The Western Trust Milk Bank is located in Irvinestown, Co. Fermanagh, and is the only human milk bank in the country. It has provided help for hundreds of premature and sick babies both north and south in Ireland, since it opened in 2000. The service operates in a similar way to…

Every day children in schools all around the world eat their lunch in toilet cubicles; others spend entire mornings in class silently agonising about who might hang out with them at lunchtime; millions immediately panic when they hear the familiar ping from their mobile and they realise that yet another so-called friend has posted spiteful…

“We view our core members as friends, not clients,” says Maria Lezama, a volunteers’ coordinator for L’Arche Cork. L’Arche (French for ‘The Ark’) began in 1964 when Jean Vanier invited two men, who were confined within a local institution because of their intellectual disabilities, to come live with him. Together they shared a small house in…

With the popularity of electronics growing every day, it can be a challenge to get your children outdoors and into nature. To make the most of what is left of the summer weather, you should get out to explore the beauty that Ireland has to offer. So how do you get your whole family to…

Summer camps for young girls are well underway across Ireland instilling values like friendship, loyalty and faith in remembrance and celebration of Michaela McAreavey. In July St Peter’s Primary School Cloughreagh outside Newry in Co. Down hosted the Michaela Foundation Girls’ Summer Camp for the fifth year running. The Armagh camp was one of 19…

As back-to-school signs hang in seemingly every shop window, there is no denying that school days are just around the corner. The summer is winding down and as anticipation for school picks up, parents are preparing their little ones for the first day of school. Many parents are anxious about this new journey in their…