A primary school teacher based in Dublin who drew attention to the apparent removal of references to Christmas/Nollaig in the textbook Abair Liom for 5th class pupils, has described the change in language, which makes reference to ‘winter markets’ instead, as not something that teachers or parents have advocated for while others involved in Catholic…

Former minister and Fianna Fáil TD Mary O’Rourke, who was the first woman elected to Athlone Urban District Council and subsequently held cabinet positions as the Minister for Health and also the Minister for Education throughout the 1980s and 1990s, was described as a person of “strong character and personality” and somebody whose life was…

The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference has appointed Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe as its delegate for the 2025 Jubilee Year. Bishop Monahan announced the launch of a countdown timer on CatholicBishops.ie to help people anticipate the Holy Year. Various groups, including clergy, religious communities, and lay ministries, will mark special jubilee occasions both in Rome…

Daily Mass readings are now available in Irish through the Catholic lay association Evangelizo. The Irish language is among the seventeen other languages available for over half a million speakers worldwide. Bishop of Down and Connor Alan McGuckian welcomed the initiative: “Reading the Scriptures in Irish, or indeed in any language, is an extraordinary way…

Recent figures highlighting increased pressure on Ireland’s homeless services due to asylum seekers must not be “exploited” as there is space for both Irish homeless and those seeking international protection. Homelessness campaigners have insisted that pointing the finger at any group is “very wrong” and that it is up to Government to respond appropriately to…

Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s call for political parties in the south to make Irish reunification “an objective” and not “an aspiration”, has been met with a call for sensitivity and an understanding that Northern Ireland is still “not a united place”. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Baroness Nuala O’Loan,…

A priest with decades of experience in education has described the Government’s SPHE curriculum, which was brought to public attention by whistleblower-teacher Mary Creedon, who revealed that secondary school students were being exposed to explicit sexual content within classrooms, as being devoid of morals and respect and urged concerned parents and Church leaders to speak…

Four nuns who mapped more than half a million stars between 1917 and 1921 have been honoured with asteroids named after them. Astrophysicist Fr Michael Connolly PP Oughterard, Co. Galway, said role models such as these religious sisters “remind us that there is a very important responsibility to speak up for the creator and sing his…

Brandon Scott and Chai Brady Two members at the forefront of the Church’s safeguarding efforts have described the Church as being “very safe for children at the moment” due to the successes of the safeguarding reforms that have been implemented in dioceses across the country and that politically-motivated statements attacking the Church and calling for…

Following the publication of the Iona Institute’s new study ‘The rapid rise of ‘New Age’ weddings in Ireland: how should the churches respond?’, which reveals that fewer couples are opting for church weddings, journalist and commentator Breda O’Brien said that it can be challenging for churches to compete with the range of options on offer…