Parishes deprived of a resident priest in Ireland survive only with great difficulty. The problem is that Irish parishes are centred on the priest to an unhealthy degree, and to such an extent that when the resident priest is removed, the parish flounders. I have witnessed this myself. Having been ten years in Newcestown &…

Moscow not only continues to systematically kill Ukrainian civilians and wipe out entire families in their homes with missile strikes; it is also deliberately targeting historical and architectural heritage. During the latest massive attack on Kyiv, the aggressor damaged a number of sites such as the Church of the Nativity of Christ, the Postal Station,…

Cemetery Masses are being held all over Ireland during these summer months. Yes, we remember our deceased relatives and friends in November with its feast of All Souls, but the long days and good weather of summer allow us to hear Mass in a unique way in the open air and to pray, almost in…

Human rights in Ireland are due to be examined again in the upcoming periodic review by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) later this year. Several organisations have now published their submissions to the Council including one by 23 NGOs from the LGBTQI+ sector, co-authored by TENI, the Transgender Equality Network Ireland, LGBT Ireland…

Dear Editor, Your editorial, ‘The Synod that forgot to save the Church’ (The Irish Catholic, May 28 2026) raises important questions about the future of the Church in Ireland and the role of the Irish Synodal Pathway within it. But its emphasis is misplaced. In May 2025, when the newly elected Pope Leo XIV spoke…

The rain fell steadily on Cork on Corpus Christi Sunday, but it did little to deter the more than 5,000 people who gathered at the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne to mark the centenary of the city’s Eucharistic Procession. As the Blessed Sacrament emerged from the cathedral, the crowd followed Christ in the…

For obvious historical reasons, the vast majority of primary schools in Ireland are Catholic. The same applies to about half of secondary schools. The national school system arose out of the parochial schools. The vast majority of Irish people prior to independence in 1922 did not want to send their children to State schools because…

On a press trip to Disneyland some years ago, I met a man who took his children to Mass every Sunday even though he had no faith. Why go? I asked. “Because it is good for my children,” he said. He liked Catholic values. This man came to mind as I listened to Maedbh King…

Ireland has one of the fastest-ageing populations in Europe, and most oldsters seem to be coping reasonably well – according to TCD’s Longitudinal Study on Ageing. (‘Tilda’). There are 789 Irish centenarians (including the diaspora) of whom 637 are women, and 152 men. In every study, women averagely live longer than men – more evidence…

For all but six of Ireland’s thirty-four hurling counties, the intercounty season is already over. Before the meteorological summer had even properly begun, the vast majority of counties had played their final championship match of the year. For some their seasons ended not on packed terraces amid the glamour of a sold-out stadium, but in…