A divine invitation came my way the other day: to look to the rock from which I was hewn. Actually, it was not put quite like Isaiah’s words in chapter 51, verse one. But those words echoed and so I’m heading to Downpatrick this Sunday, on the first day of the Irish Spring, as the…
In recent years, schools, the media, and other institutions in Ireland have come to accept a set of transgender-related claims as the new normal. This shift was not the result of careful argument or evidence, but of sustained lobbying. Teachers and principals accepted this newly sanctioned view largely because journalists amplified it without interrogation. Those…
January 2026 could hardly be described as a slow news month. With no shortage of major international and domestic stories competing for attention, The Irish Times’ decision to give front-page prominence to an article about a ‘rights guide’ was striking. The headline stated that the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) claimed schools “must” use…
Should religious symbols be shown in buildings owned by the State? This is the question the European Court of Human Rights will examine in due course. It has been brought by the Union of Atheists in Greece, who object to religious symbols appearing on the walls of Greek courts. While the case might seem remote…
Are women to blame for the social and political phenomenon known as ‘wokeness’? That’s the controversial view of the American commentator Helen Andrews, whose broadcasts and interviews on this topic are all over YouTube. Ms Andrews has written that “wokeness” is not a new ideology, or an outgrowth of Marxism, as sometimes claimed. “It is…
Would you have the faith to buy a one-way ticket to Lourdes, check into the best hotel, without a penny – and trust that the Mother of God would pick up the tab? Well that’s what a young Irish American priest did to mark the fifth anniversary of his ordination – though his nerve wavered…
As Catholic Schools Week is marked across the country, news that the Bishops’ Conference is establishing a commission to examine how the Church might aid the process of school divestment will be welcomed by many. It suggests a long-overdue action to engage seriously with a reality that has been discussed, debated, and deferred for more…
Nano Nagle (1718-1784), the pioneer of education in Ireland, founded, despite legal prohibition, free schools in Cork City for the education of poor girls and boys. Nano also established night classes for the mothers of her pupils. Nano used her vast wealth to finance her schools so that, in her own words, “the pupils might…
Recently, while teaching an undergraduate course on contemporary issues in Catholic education, I became aware of how constrained freedom of speech has begun to feel for many young adults. These are final-year Catholic student teachers who are intelligent, thoughtful and on the cusp of professional life. The class encouraged them to engaging with complex and…
The recent Dáil vote on abortion is a reminder of the volatility that still surrounds the issue – but also of the possibilities now emerging for further pro-life wins, writes Eilís Mulroy The defeat of Paul Murphy’s extreme abortion proposal in the Dáil just before Christmas was a significant and timely boost for the…
Martina Purdy
David Quinn
Mary Kenny
Eilis Mulroy