Last month, I travelled around Vancouver Island, my island home, which is the size of Ireland. Its population was 864,864 in the latest census; just 96,000 of these are Catholic, fewer than 10%. Twenty priests staff this large mission territory, with two of its 30 parishes served by (lay) pastoral administrators. I was particularly interested…

Few would dispute Micheál Martin’s mastery of the bedside manner or his ability to project calm authority as leader of the country. Whether navigating meetings at the White House with President Trump or managing the daily challenges of politics at home, his instinctive grasp of political craft has served him well during his 15 years…

Christopher Ewart-Biggs was a British ambassador to Ireland who was killed by the Provisional IRA in 1976. His widow endowed a prize in his name which would promote peace and understanding. This year’s Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize has been won just this month by Fintan O’Toole and Sam McBride for their joint publication ‘For and Against…

Generation Z was raised in the most technologically advanced era in history and told that religion was dying. Yet it now appears that young people are rediscovering faith at a time when many believed it was something only their grandparents still practised. As Easter approaches, fresh data from Ireland, alongside trends across Europe and the…

This Lent, my husband and I started watching The Chosen streaming series again. We are working through Season Four, although Season Five is already available. The Chosen is the first multi-season series based on the life of Jesus. It is the brainchild of Dallas Jenkins, a conservative Evangelical, who, along with Angel Studios, crowdfunded the…

When the going gets tough, Catholics need to lean in, argues Patricia Casey When things get tough, every Catholic should know that this is not the time to give up on their beliefs. Yet a well-known priest and podcaster has suggested that the Catholic Church should remove religion from all schools and return the responsibility…

When I saw a new ‘National Conversation on Education’ was being launched, my first reaction was, ‘here we go, they’re coming after denominational schools again’. This might yet happen as the ‘conversation’ progresses, but in the very early stages they have not been a big topic. The conversation began with a survey from the Department…

A leaflet dropped through my door the other day. The Belfast councillor Donal Lyons was promoting a new scheme to recycle glass bottles. Commendable. Except Cllr Lyons represents the SDLP which has proved a major disappointment. I would like to vote for Donal Lyons. Originally from Dublin, he seems like a decent, gentle person. But…

I think I should start this article with a ‘bad language’ trigger warning because at least two rude words, neither of my own making, are in there among the jumble of thoughts clamouring for expression on this page. I was pleased when a friend offered me two tickets to attend The Rest is Politics (TRIP)…