On a visit to Mountjoy, Chai Brady investigates the good works of techy inmates   The magic happens on level 5 where old keyboards and monitors lie in green baskets on the floor of what looks like an average computer lab at first glance. Except this room has bars on every window. The old pieces…

Pope Francis’ missionary approach echoes that of St Vincent de Paul, Greg Daly learns   NUI Galway’s Dr Alison Forrestal hadn’t planned on writing a book to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the Vincentian charism’s birth when she started work on St Vincent de Paul. She was simply, she says, “working as a scholar…

Pope Francis shines bright for Fr Paddy Byrne, writes Chai Brady   It’s no secret the Church in Ireland faces difficult times as the number of vocations and practicing Catholics are in decline, but one priest says effective leadership and modernisation have already made a difference in his parish. Fr Paddy Byrne told The Irish…

Having been thrust into the public eye in the most awful circumstances imaginable, John McAreavey remains a man of immense faith 
and courage, writes 
Martin O’Brien   The two hours we had agreed for this rare and exclusive interview, requested by The Irish Catholic, just flew by. So, I was sorry when John McAreavey, husband…

Christmas in the Redemptoristine monastery in Dublin is a thing of joy. “It’s a huge event in the community,” Sr Lucy, Superior at the monastery tells me and I can feel the sheer happiness oozing from her. “We are like an extended family, though only God could have put us together. It is a beautiful…

The poet can help us declutter to prepare for the coming of Christ, writes Sr Una Agnew SSL   When Patrick Kavanagh leaves home to go to live in Dublin in 1939, he does so in the belief that, relieved of the constant constraints of farming, he will be free to pursue his writing ambition.…

As Poland votes to outlaw Sunday trading, Susan Gately wonders whether Ireland might follow suit Late last month, Polish MPs approved a bill aimed at phasing out Sunday trading by 2020. The bill which has been passed in the lower house of Poland’s parliament, restricts Sunday shopping to the first and last Sunday of the…

As Ireland prepares to open its arms to welcome families from across the world to the 9th World Meeting of Families, the 1000th registration for next year’s event in Dublin has just been recorded. Amongst those registered for the events from 21 – 26 August 2018, are families from Ireland and from 70 countries across…

Mary’s Land spreads across Ireland with Catholic message, writes Chai Brady     Although box office success seems to be the driving factor behind many of today’s high-grossing films, one man would be happy if his creation touched just one person’s life. Being cynical about the film industry isn’t hard. As sequel after questionable sequel…

While the Vatican assesses potential miracles attributed to the intercession of Pope John Paul I, a new books sheds light on events surrounding his death, writes Michael Kelly   It’s no coincidence that Dan Browne – author if The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons – chose the Catholic Church as the backdrop for…