Experience, wrote CS Lewis, is a brutal teacher. And former politician Peter Mandelson, who has been disgraced over his ties to notorious sex offender and human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, once taught me a lesson. We were both attending one of those awful receptions for “the great and the good”. I was there as a BBC…
A disobedient child used to be called ‘bold’ in Ireland, ‘naughty’ in Britain and ‘méchant’ – which can also mean ‘bad’ or ‘nasty’ – in France. Occasionally, the more forgiving term ‘contrary’ might be applied. And bold children were slapped for their wilfulness or sent out of the classroom to be given a humiliating scolding.…
Movies, documentaries and books can leave an indelible impression on the mind. When they deal with historical subjects, and especially when they deliberately play on the emotions of their audiences, they can give people a highly distorted view of the subject under examination. For example, if you went along to see the movie Small Things…
It wasn’t when Vandalising Ireland hit No.1 on Amazon Ireland and in the National Book Charts that I realised that something special was happening, even though for the book to achieve that milestone based on word-of-mouth alone is almost unheard of. Rather, it was when people began posting images of their orders from all around…
After Mass on the last Sunday before I left Union Hall for Canada, two ladies approached me. They asked how I could justify six months’ sabbatical in the light of the shortage of priests. I suggested now was the time to get away, before the shortage got even worse! I haven’t changed my mind. In…
It’s a topical question, perhaps! Many years ago, when visiting a school in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday, I spoke with the children about making a sacrifice during Lent. I asked them what they were doing and the answers were understandably predictable. “I’m giving up sweets”, said one. “Fizzy Drinks”, said another, and…
Everyone blames ‘misogyny’ for the Jeffrey Epstein scandal – since his treatment of young girls, and women in general – was blatantly abhorrent. Epstein’s awful emails may yet bring down the British Prime Minister – because he appointed an Epstein crony, Lord Mandelson, as Ambassador to Washington. The Epstein scandal has seriously damaged the British…
In Islamic thought, there is a concept called Ahl al-Kitab, meaning People of the Book. This primarily refers to Muslims, Jews and Christians, believers who have experienced divine revelation and codified it in a book. While there are large differences in how these three faith traditions understand the role of their sacred texts, books are…
We hear an awful lot these days about ‘misinformation’, ‘disinformation’ and so on. Media and politicians like to turn their guns on social media, and X (previously Twitter) most of all. The average person is now probably conditioned to assume that X, which is owned by Elon Musk, is a total hellscape where anyone foolish…
Speaking on the Education Nation podcast, this week, the Irish Times columnist and longtime catechist doesn’t mince her words; if Catholic schools do not actively invest in their ethos, they risk becoming “Catholic in name only.” “We have fantastic young teachers,” she acknowledges, “but many have grown up in an entirely secular environment.” In words…
Martina Purdy
Mary Kenny
David Quinn
Breda O'Brien