In May, a major survey carried out by Amarach Research on behalf of the Iona Institute found that Gen Z respondents (18-24-years-olds) are a lot more open to religion than their Millennial counterparts (25-34-year-olds). While only 6% of those aged 25-34 consider themselves religious, this jumps to 17% among 18-24-year-olds. While this is markedly lower…
Government redress schemes are undoubtedly a good thing. They provide the opportunity for the successor governments of past duty-bearers to provide something beyond superficial apologies on behalf of the State. Such apologies, while useful, are not real apologies. They do not involve any genuine accountability or acceptance of culpability on behalf of individuals who committed…
Last week, I asked whether people should moralise about the personal conduct of those in high places. The Christian view warns against being judgemental, lest we ourselves be judged. On such grounds, I have previously been somewhat sorry for Prince Andrew, once second-in-line to the British throne. Andrew was disgraced for bad behaviour, poor judgement…
Should we moralise – or take a moral view – on the public behaviour of persons thrust into the public limelight? A recent global event has produced a wide range of varying responses to such an occurrence. At a concert in Massachusetts, where the musical group Coldplay was performing, a couple were caught on camera…
What is it like to grow up in the age of the internet, social media, and smartphones? Think of your children and grandchildren and how often they have their heads stuck in their devices. You might even do the same thing yourself. I know I do. Sometimes, I have to consciously put my phone out…
Folklore promises that those who perish on the hill at Saul, Co. Down, will skip purgatory and go straight to Heaven. After all, it was here that St Patrick himself ended his days on March 17, 461AD. But the legend was not what drew the parish priest there as he marked his 75th birthday. Rather,…
Bro. John Conway, a Jesuit, working in Zimbabwe in the fifties, conspired with the British colonial government to undermine the independence movement, claiming the natives needed the British in order to have their souls saved. Someone once told me that Michael Collins, upon initially hearing of Dev’s reaction to the Treaty, he actually agreed with…
So, young people aged 16 and over, in Northern Ireland, will forthwith be entitled to vote, as Keir Starmer’s government lowers the voting age all over the United Kingdom. It’s quite probable that a similar change will be introduced in the Republic, where the voting age currently stands at 18. There’s been much discussion as…
And so the long-awaited dig at the site of the former Tuam Children’s Home, to use its proper name, has begun. It is estimated that the dig will take around two years. The purpose is to find how many bodies are buried there, to give them a more appropriate burial and where possible to match…
An obscure border village in South Armagh has just received some famous visitors: St Paul the Apostle, St Teresa of Avila and St Agnes, among others. Actually, it was their relics that visited Meigh, a little village which rests in the shadow of Slieve Gullion. It was here that Shalom World TV decided, apparently for…
Breda O'Brien
Mary Kenny
David Quinn
Martina Purdy