The parish priest of Oughterard in Galway has called for calm among a Galway community protesting the potential opening of a direct provision centre in their town. Local protests began last week after concerns that a hotel just outside the town was being converted into a direct provision centre. Fr Michael Connolly PP told The…
Free primary school education has largely become a myth in modern Ireland, the head of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association has said. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Seamus Mulconry said that “in primary schools, free education is substantially a myth”. He said his social media observation that the State was, in practice, ignoring its…
Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy has slammed people who think of themselves as “faithful Christians” while espousing sinful racism views. He warned that “racism and intolerance should have no place in Irish society”. In his homily at Our Lady Help of Christians church in Milford, Limerick to celebrate the centenary of Salesians in Ireland, Bishop Leahy said…
A prominent Northern priest has spoken of being moved by “an incredible response” after he revealed that the holy oil container he had used since his ordination was stolen over the weekend. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Passionist Fr Gary Donegan, who became a household name when helping shield schoolchildren from loyalist mobs during 2001’s…
An Irish Church that existed in the penal times has been re-opened in Waterford, with a new footpath to it blessed by Bishop Phonsie Cullinan. Mass was celebrated in St Patrick’s Church on Jenkin’s Lane throughout the 18th Century when Catholics suffered severe persecution. The earliest Mass recorded there happened in 1704. A large number…
Catholic schools must take concrete action in tackling climate change, not just engage in protests, according to Irish principals. The climate strike organised on September 20 is a continuation of strikes aimed to raise awareness of human impacts on the environment and the need for sustainable practices. Schoolchildren have been at the forefront of these…
A top Vatican cardinal is to address Irish religious next month on the Church’s missionary role in the wider world. Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, the first head of the Holy See’s new ‘super-dicastery’, the Office for Promoting Integral Human Development, will speak on the theme of ‘Mission Today in Our Common Home’ at the Autumn…
Farmers are heavily in favour of age-restrictions on pornography, with only 3% believing there should be free access. An Irish Examiner/ICMSA poll of farmers and farming families found that 72% believe strongly there should be age restrictions, with 14% slightly agreeing. Support for the restriction was similar across all age groups, peaking among people aged…
Mothers have a vital role in children’s mental health and families staying together, new research suggests. According to a study by the UK’s Marriage Foundation in conjunction with Lincoln University, a mother’s happiness is nearly twice as important as a father’s when it comes to family life and the chances of a couple staying together.…
Reforms to RTÉ should not come at a cost to the national broadcaster’s regional public service role, Senator Rónán Mullen has said. Responding to statements that RTÉ is considering selling its Cork Leeside studio, the independent senator said this looked like “a calculated act of limited self-preservation for a model of operations that is already…
Chai Brady
Greg Daly