The number of Catholic weddings made up just 35% of all those taking place in the State – the lowest recorded figure since the year 2000 – with civil ceremonies (32%) catching up quickly, marriage statistics for 2023 show. The proportion of Catholic weddings fell from 40% in 2022, while the percentage of civil ceremonies…

Those who challenge modern certainties are “taken to the edge of the cliff”, the Abbot of Glenstal said in a homily at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), encouraging openness to all knowledge in education at a time when free-speech debates rage on college campuses. Fr Brendan Coffey OSB also railed against the “irrational fear” behind a…

Hundreds of protestors gathered outside the RDS on Saturday as women’s rights group The Countess held a conference highlighting the impact of ‘gender ideology’ on Irish society. As protestors shouted “shame on you”, some attendees reported being spat on as they tried to enter the conference. One attendee mentioned how she had to enter through the…

Two young saints set to be canonised in 2025, Blesseds Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, can bring young Irish people to God, an Irish priest involved in saints’ canonisation causes has said. While most people think of saints as being older or from centuries ago, Blessed Pier Giorgio – who died age 24 –…

Students generally perceive the religious ethos of their school positively, but were less likely than staff to perceive ethos to be important, a new study on school identity has shown. Some students saw their schools’ religious ethos as playing an important role in promoting awareness, tolerance, and respect, while others disagreed with the religious ethos…

An amendment that sought to protect silent prayer outside abortion clinics, proposed by Senators Sharon Keogan and Rónán Mullen, resulted in multiple senators insisting that “prayer is a personal thing” and that praying outside, even if the nature of the prayer is silent, “can easily be identified as protest”. The proposal was eventually defeated. Outlining…

A pathway running from the base to the summit of Croagh Patrick in Co. Mayo has been officially opened after the completion of a three-year building project carried out by hand. Thousands of tonnes of rock and soil were removed from the Reek to make it safe and accessible, as well as protecting the mountain.…

When asked to open up about her most memorable moments in her life Riverdance dancer and captain Amy-Mae Dolan shared that getting the opportunity to perform in front of the Pope was one of the most career-defining highlights in her decorated Irish dancing career. Ms Dolan, who is from Aghyaran in Castlederg, Co. Tyrone, recalled…

When asked to open up about her most memorable moments in her life Riverdance dancer and captain Amy-Mae Dolan shared that getting the opportunity to perform in front of the Pope was one of the most career-defining highlights in her decorated Irish dancing career. Ms Dolan, who is from Aghyaran in Castlederg, Co. Tyrone, recalled…

Beginning in the early hours of this morning a major operation was launched to relocate hundreds of asylum seekers camped outside the international protection office on Mount Street, Dublin 2. A cohort of gardaí cordoned off Mount Street as council workers cleared and cleaned the area, the smell of bleach prominent. A dump truck was…