Official Ireland has its heroes and villains. The heroes and villains of the first few decades after independence in 1922 are easily categorised. The heroes are the ones who propelled Ireland forward into the modern age. They are people like Noel Browne, Sean Lemass, TK Whitaker and Gay Bryne. The villains are the ones who…

The results of the Limerick diocese’s 2025 consultation released this week tells it again what its own documents have been saying since 2016 and earlier consultations before that, going back to the 1990’s. The deeper question is whether listening, however sincere, has become a substitute for decision-making. There is a moment near the end of…

I owe Alistair McConnell a phone call. A few weeks ago, he got in touch with me by email. He wanted to hear my concerns about RTÉ’s broadcast output. Alistair is the Head of Editorial Standards and Compliance at RTÉ. He emailed me after his Director General, Kevin Bakhurst, appeared some days previously before the…

Just five games remain in this year’s intercounty hurling championship as the All-Ireland quarter-finals bring the curtain down on provincial campaigns that, in truth, never really caught fire. The Munster and Leinster finals were far from the classics many had anticipated, with Limerick and Galway emerging victorious to secure direct passage to the All-Ireland semi-finals.…

Nearly eight years ago now, I honeymooned in Mexico for a couple of weeks. One of my abiding memories is sitting in a small-town square enjoying a local festival, watching the world go by, and being amazed by the sheer volume of children that were hanging out of prams, running around, screaming, shouting and laughing.…

Parishes deprived of a resident priest in Ireland survive only with great difficulty. The problem is that Irish parishes are centred on the priest to an unhealthy degree, and to such an extent that when the resident priest is removed, the parish flounders. I have witnessed this myself. Having been ten years in Newcestown &…

Moscow not only continues to systematically kill Ukrainian civilians and wipe out entire families in their homes with missile strikes; it is also deliberately targeting historical and architectural heritage. During the latest massive attack on Kyiv, the aggressor damaged a number of sites such as the Church of the Nativity of Christ, the Postal Station,…

Cemetery Masses are being held all over Ireland during these summer months. Yes, we remember our deceased relatives and friends in November with its feast of All Souls, but the long days and good weather of summer allow us to hear Mass in a unique way in the open air and to pray, almost in…

Human rights in Ireland are due to be examined again in the upcoming periodic review by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) later this year. Several organisations have now published their submissions to the Council including one by 23 NGOs from the LGBTQI+ sector, co-authored by TENI, the Transgender Equality Network Ireland, LGBT Ireland…

Dear Editor, Your editorial, ‘The Synod that forgot to save the Church’ (The Irish Catholic, May 28 2026) raises important questions about the future of the Church in Ireland and the role of the Irish Synodal Pathway within it. But its emphasis is misplaced. In May 2025, when the newly elected Pope Leo XIV spoke…