“On a hill far away, stood the old rugged cross”, so begins the well-known and much-loved hymn that takes us to the shadow and the light found on and through Calvary. In this month of September, we celebrate the Feast Day of The Triumph of The Cross. It is more accurately referred to as The…

Divisive, dangerous and provocative – that’s how some in the media described American activist Charlie Kirk, after he was shot dead in Utah just days ago. “The answers he gave were astonishing!” said one Sky TV commentator, who cited his “outlandish” pro-life position and Kirk’s “dislike of abortion” – as if killing a child in…

It was hardly a great advertisement for Ireland when Pope Leo, as Bishop Robert Prevost, reported that when visiting this country he had been physically attacked in the street. This had occurred probably in 2007 (he came to Ireland twice, once in 2005 and then again two years later). “Never in my life have I…

There is a good chance you had never heard of Charlie Kirk, the young American political activist, until he was murdered in America last week while addressing students at an open-air event at a university in Utah. Only those who follow US politics very closely will have heard of him. I was somewhat aware of…

I do hate saying this as it sounds very pretentious but I need to make reference to a book I wrote. The one before the last one was called Dipping into Life. A number of people came up to me afterwards and said, ‘I love that book’ and some would go on to say, ‘I…

During his Sunday Angelus recently with pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo gave us a call to love when he said, “Let us where we are, never miss an opportunity to love. This is the vigilance that Jesus asks of us, to get used to being attentive, available and sensitive to one another,…

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). On Sunday last, the Church invited us to rejoice as two young men, St Carlo Acutis and St Pier Giorgio Frassati were declared saints. Born in different centuries, they lived very different lives, Carlo with computers and technology, Pier Giorgio with mountains and…

Last year, Ireland held two referendums which our political leaders, aided and abetted by most of our media, have been very keen to forget about. One was on so-called ‘durable relationships’. No-one could quite say what these were, but ‘durable relationships’ were to be given marriage-like status. Voters worried they were being asked to buy…

Conversation overheard: “Are you going to see the new Downton Abbey film, when it opens this week?” “Oh yes! We’re booked for Sunday.” “Complete tosh!” “I’m sure it will be absolute nonsense! But the gorgeous costumes and posh interiors are just the kind of fluffy entertainment that helps us escape the dreadful realities of the…

Far Right and Far Left voices clashed on Dublin’s O’Connell Street in April 2025. Shouts of “Refugees are welcome” met with “Ireland is for the Irish.” Yet Ireland’s future will not be decided by street protests or slogans. It will be shaped by something deeper: culture. Unless we take culture seriously, Ireland risks tearing its…