The grounds of Clonard Monastery in Belfast are about to undergo an “aesthetically pleasing” transformation, as the decades-old barbed wire on top of the exterior walls are to be replaced with a pallet-style fence. The barbed wire, which was added to the walls during the Troubles in order to protect the Redemptorist community who live…

Bishop Denis Nulty has laid out his blueprint for the future of the Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin in the face of the growing shortage of priests. “The present situation of the shortage of vocations, the age profile of the priests and the stress associated with such realities needs serious reflection,” Bishop Nulty said at…

Award-winning British writer Jimmy McGovern has revealed that he wanted to portray priests in a positive light in his latest hit show as a tribute to hard-working clerics. Broken – which is currently airing on BBC television – tells the story of Fr Michael, a priest working in a deprived community who works to help…

New research debunks the sensationalist myths surrounding the Magdalen laundries in Ireland, a leading historian has claimed. Dr Jacinta Prunty, head of history at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, has painstakingly trawled the archives for a new book which aims to set the record straight. Dr Prunty says she hopes her new book –…

The Dalai Lama will be returning to the city of Derry on September 10, in order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the charity, Children in Crossfire. The Dalai Lama, a dedicated patron of Children in Crossfire, will be guest of honour at a public talk entitled ‘Compassion in Action’, which will aim to encourage…

The public is split almost exactly 50/50 on whether or not we should change our Good Friday drinking laws, with the greatest opposition coming from young people, according to new research. The poll, conducted by Amárach Research and commissioned by The Iona Institute, found that 51% of the public supports a lifting of the alcohol…

‘Generating awareness a real challenge’ Irish bishops are beseeching parishes to take action as millions of people face famine in East Africa on a scale described as “absolutely frightening”. Bishops north and south of the border are appealing for aid to be supplied and awareness to be spread of the growing crisis, after prolonged droughts…

Tyrone football manager Mickey Harte has said that despite the impression given by the media, he believes that most Irish people “still hold life very precious and very dear”. Speaking to The Irish Catholic in advance of addressing the annual Ceiliuradh Cois Life dinner for pro-life education last Friday, he said that while the media…

There are “gravely insufficient” supports and services for Irish teens at risk of suicide, according to a Mater Hospital psychiatrist. This comes as a Unicef report found that Ireland has the fourth highest suicide rate among teenagers in the EU. Prof. Patricia Casey, a UCD and Mater hospital psychiatrist, has said the emergency services are…

“A society which has lost its religion becomes sooner or later a society which has lost its culture.” This sentiment undergirded the theme of the most recent Ratzinger Symposium held in the Buswells Hotel in Dublin. Entitled ‘The Future of Europe: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives’, the conference pays homage to the theology of Joseph Ratzinger,…