Greg Daly talks to First Things editor RR Reno about what the Trump presidency means “Populism is the spirit of the moment,” says R.R. Reno, editor of the American journal First Things, pointing to what he sees as key to the election of Donald Trump to the US presidency. “Populism has a cultural and spiritual…

People living with a disability need to be at the heart of development, Catrina Sheridan tells Michael Kelly Sightsavers is an organisation on a mission. When we meet, the recently-appointed CEO of Sightsavers Ireland Catrina Sheridan is brimming with enthusiasm about plans for the year ahead. At heart, the work of Sightsavers is quite simple:…

Irish bishops travel to meet Pope Francis filled with hope and realism, writes Archbishop Eamon Martin This weekend the Irish bishops travel to Rome to begin a two-week pilgrimage “to the threshold of the apostles” (ad limina apostolorum). It is 10 years now since the Irish bishops were last called to make their ad limina…

Dr Kevin Myers Most Irish people continue to believe in life after death but many don’t see the Church as the only path to salvation, writes Dr Kevin Myers “Death be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so.” Penned by John Donne, this sonnet verse proclaims man’s…

Echoes of the past from the achives Peter Costello reports from the National Archives of Ireland on the release under the 30-year rule of confidential state files from 1986 This week the National Archives released for public inspection State files from 1986 and earlier. This year some files date back to the 1920s, with large…

Echos of the past from the Archives In 1971 a proposal was made by the manager of Muckross House in Killarney that an effort should be made to ensure the return to its place of creation of the manuscript of the Annals of Inisfallen. The book had been created around 1092, with entries from 433…

Secrets of the powers that be In December 1977 the Irish Consulate in Chicago reported its anxiety about the effect of an article that had just appeared in the Chicago Tribune by maverick priest and academic Fr Andrew Greely. This was entitled ‘Ulster a Medieval Nightmare’. He called it “the last bastion of oppression and…

Echoes of the past from the archives In the mid-1980s a constant source of anxiety were the reports of supposed foreign submarines off the coast of Ireland. Many fishing boats had encounters with some mysterious vessels that might be called USOs (unidentified submarine objects). They were stopped or pulled backwards till they cut their nets…

Echoes of the past from the archives That the events across Europe between 1912 and 1924 damaged the minds of a generation of European is widely accepted by historians. The “”shell shock” and “neurasthenia” suffered by those who fought on all sides is well documented. The troubles politics and social life of the 1920 and…

Secrets of the powers that be In 1981 there was some discussion between TCD, the Bank of Ireland and Mr Haughey about the possibility of the National Museum taking over the old Parliament Building on College Green as an extension to the National Museum (a matter now resolved by the opening of Collins Barracks). The…