The Irish Times has suddenly discovered that “Woke 1.0” was a bad thing. In an opinion piece published this week, “We reached ‘peak-woke’ in 2020-2023. Today that looks ridiculous”, Finn McRedmond looks back ruefully on the years between 2020-23 when institutions succumbed to groupthink. How very interesting. Because if we are going to conduct a…
There has been quite the furore over the Government’s National Strategy for Women and Girls. To me, ‘tradwife’ is the updated term for the Irish Mammy: a no-nonsense woman with traditional values, self-assured and perfectly content raising her children at home. ‘Irish Mammy’ was never exactly a term of endearment, but it carries affection and…
Many of us, as people striving to follow Christ in a busy and demanding world, find ourselves trapped by invisible barriers of our own making. ‘I’ll serve at church once my schedule clears up.’ ‘I’m not ready to volunteer until I learn more.’ ‘I’ll reach out and mend that relationship when I’m a better person.’…
I have been a religious sister for a long time, and I thought I had a fairly good sense of which conversations would surprise me. Then a young woman in her late twenties recounted in a post her recent return from her first silent retreat, and that it had been ‘the most genuinely restful thing…
A tale of two Marys, amid many faith stories. That was my experience of the National Novena at Knock 2026: joy at the vision of Our Lady, who appears above St Joseph, the layman, and St John, the priest and evangelist, and sorrow that the journalist, Mary Kennedy, during her privileged position as speaker at…
At no other time has the Philippines faced such a moral crisis and challenge to its integrity as a nation. Government officials, civil society and child protectors are challenged to take a stronger moral and social stand against the ever-spreading proliferation of crimes against children, especially over the internet. It is here, Unicef says, where…
There’s to be a new strategy to protect and preserve the cultural heritage of the Travelling community, announced as part of National Heritage Week, just coming to a close. It’s made me reflect on historic attitudes to Travellers, which many of us may have inherited. I grew up with several mixed attitudes to Travellers, who’d…
In March 18, Bishop Michael Router was in Rome, where he met the Pope as part of his work around healthcare and ethics. He described the Pontiff as a serene presence. “Pope Leo was very calm, very quiet, a good listener,” said Bishop Router, “Someone that you would take seriously, a very strong character.” It…
Are we set for a repeat of the fuel protests from earlier this year? The cuts won by protestors to the excise duties we pay on fuel are due to expire shortly and if the Government begins to restore them, it is very likely that truckers and farmers will take to the streets again. The…
Some years ago, as a diplomat at the Irish Embassy in Lisbon, I went ‘on mission’ to Rio de Janeiro because back then the Embassy also handled relations with Brazil. Following my return to Lisbon from one such expedition, I headed straight to a reception at the house of a Finnish colleague and spoke enthusiastically…
Martina Purdy
Mary Kenny
David Quinn