Mags Gargan looks at a programme that promotes diversity in schools   ‘The biggest success of all was the attitude change in the students. This programme opened their eyes to a world of cultures and languages,” says Melissa Boyer, of the experience of St Joseph’s Girls National School in Dublin’s Finglas on participating in…

  Paul Keenan reports on a Christian charity helping those in need to help themselves   If there is an illustration that best serves the guiding principles of the Tearfund charity, it is offered from the personal experience of their CEO, Reuben Coulter. Just returned from Malawi, where he was overseeing ongoing Tearfund projects, Reuben…

By ignoring the potential of co-operatives we are missing out on an opportunity for economic growth, writes FrDermot McKenna SJ   Regrettably, co-operative enterprise is not held in high esteem by our Government, by our professionals, by our teachers, or even by our Churches. It would be interesting to know if any of our third-level…

  Irish Catholic actor Liam Neeson tells Cindy Pearlman about life after the death of his wife   ‘I love that expression, ‘How do you make God laugh?’,” Liam Neeson says. ”The answer: ‘You just tell him your plans and then watch as fate takes you in a different direction.’ You think your life is…

  Emmet Dooley tells Mags Gargan about his decision to abstain from sex before marriage   Chastity is a word that has been reintroduced to a whole new generation thanks to the Twilight series of books and films, where a central part of the plot revolves around the fact that the main characters Bella and…

Professor William Reville examines two truths that do not contradict   The biggest rift between Christians who interpret the Bible exclusively in literal terms (creationists) and science relates to clashing explanations of the origin of the world and the origin of life. These origins are described in the Book of Genesis as acts of creation…

Chef Neven Maguire tells Mags Gargan about the joys of a family Christmas   Does Neven Maguire cook the family Christmas dinner? It is perhaps an obvious question to ask an award winning chef, but it is hard to resist, and the answer is of course he does. ”We had 35 in our house for…

The Tullamore Gospel Choir has just concluded another successful year, Paul Keenan writes   It says something of a parish choir when it not only keeps 70 members passionately involved throughout a busy year but can also maintain a long waiting list of prospective singers. This, however, is the impressive boast of the Tullamore Gospel…

Mags Gargan visits a homeless service offered by Crosscare, the social care agency of the Dublin archdiocese   This is Elizabeth’s first Christmas in her own home in quite a number of years. She is an elegant, dignified, well spoken lady that completely shatters the stereotypical image of a homeless person. She is perhaps the…

Trócaire’s regional manager for Latin America, Sally O’Neill tells Mags Gargan that Christmas is a time for togetherness   Christmas for Trócaire’s Sally O’Neil no longer means the snowy hills of County Tyrone, but the tropical heat and humidity of Honduras in Central America. ”I don’t miss having a white Christmas,” she says, ”I have…