The consequences of population decline will be seismic unless we act quickly, writes Ray Kinsella   Once upon a time, when Ireland was less self-obsessed, issues like the financial burden of getting married and starting a family were the lifeblood of elections. No longer. Our skewed fiscal system discriminates against marriage and starting a family.…

As I left Mass last weekend, one of the parishioners came after me to say – “There will be no more Mass now for four weeks.” Actually, it could be longer. In Kent, where I am presently sequestered (and sequestered is the word), the authorities are talking about compelling all older people to remain in…

Notebook   During almost 34 years of priesthood I have had many memorable experiences, some of them very sad and heart-breaking, many very joyful and inspirational. Two weeks ago, I had one of the most memorable and certainly most uplifting ‘pastoral assignments’ ever! Over a year ago, I was approached by a lady in the…

When you join a religious order there are lots of things you expect: a timetable, common prayer, study, a habit and so on. But there’s one aspect of Dominican life that was quite unknown to me when I received the habit 10 years ago: regular contact with men and women on the margins of society,…

On Sunday, I had the rare privilege of being denounced in the opinion pages of no less an organ of official Irish conventional wisdom than the Sunday Times. “Politics,” announced Justine McCarthy, “needs more Kate O’Connell’s to defend us from the John McGuirk’s”. Last week, by happy coincidence, I celebrated my 36th birthday. That is, it turns…

During the visit of Pope Francis in 2018 the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar gave a first-rate speech to the Pontiff in Dublin Castle. In contrast, Francis’ input was weak and he was let down by his speechwriters on such an important topic as Church-State relations in contemporary Ireland. Mr Varadkar’s speech was something of a lap…

So, do many people celebrate St Patrick’s day in Northern Ireland?” I asked the cabbie on the drive into town from Belfast Airport. “It depends,” he answered carefully. “It depends on what sections of the community you’re talking about, so it does.” It’s usually a mistake to get into a conversation with a taxi-driver on…

At Sunday Mass celebrated at Argentina’s largest Marian shrine the head of the national bishops’ conference said it was necessary to “discern priorities” and that abortion cannot be one of them. The comments from Bishop Oscar Ojea of San Isidro came on a day recognised by the United Nations (UN) as being dedicated to women…