Notebook Some people are lucky to have one ‘Uncle Jack’ as they grow up; I had two. My mother had a brother called Jack, and an uncle of the same name. Over time, each got his own suffix, to distinguish them: her brother became ‘Uncle-Jack-in-the-bank’ (who, when he retired, became ‘Uncle-Jack-in-Galway’) and her uncle was…

England was merry this past week as bars, restaurants, cinemas, theatres and art galleries opened up – Church services had been available for weeks. But people were urged to be cautious. The message from the authorities was insistant: “don’t think as an individual: think of how your behaviour may affect others.” Cultural nudge In its…

The View It is often overlooked that a major contributor to the opening up of Irish society from the early 1960s was the Vatican, when Pope John XXIII soon after his election summoned the Second Vatican Council. It had many outcomes and effects, but one of them, the ecumenical movement, was warmly received by many…

There is a good reason to treat marriage differently than other family situations, writes David Quinn In the Dáil last week, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar described the current definition of the family in the Constitution as “out-of-date”. This might surprise you. Didn’t we have a referendum on marriage in 2015 precisely to ‘modernise’ our view of…

Notebook A conversation between a grandfather and his grandson went like this: “Grandad, what happens when you die?” Grandad explained as best he could. Still puzzled, the boy asked, “Does that mean you won’t be here anymore?” Grandad nodded: “Yes, that is true”. “Does that mean you won’t be able to play hurling with me…

“The rich are different,” Scott Fitzgerald famously said, and it is an observation which contains some truth. And yet when Bill and Melinda Gates announced they were proceeding towards a divorce after 27 years of marriage, others could identify with what is called the ‘silver split’ – when older couples break up having gone past…

The View For a long time now Ireland has been battling the Covid-19 pandemic and her people – north and south – have been trying to work out the implications of the UK’s Brexit vote and the NI Protocol. It was never going to be easy. Since the UK left the European Union (EU) there have…

For many people, their religious faith increased during Covid-19 restrictions, writes David Quinn We have been collectively living through the most unusual period of our lives since we went into the first lockdown in March of last year following the emergence in Wuhan, China, of Covid-19. Freedom All parts of life have been affected, including…

Letter from Rome Robert Duncan The neighbourhood of ivy-draped two-story buildings, cobblestoned streets and Marian shrines adjacent to St Peter’s Basilica is perhaps best-known today for serving gelato and pizza to tourists visiting the Vatican. History, however, knows the “Borgo” – as the zone is called by locals – as a village of ecclesiastical artisans…