How strong an affinity is there between Ireland and the Jewish people? I would say, little enough. As a country we do not have a history of warm relations with them. We have never had a strong Jewish presence in the country. In World War 2 we did not take in many Jewish refugees (mind…
There are many differences between the peace process in Ireland and the peace process in the Holy Land, such as it is now. And, in my experience, few things irritate both Israelis and Palestinians as the convenient transplanting of their own conflict over land to our own. I was in Belfast at the weekend, and…
I once knew a hairdresser called Anthony or AJ, a Belfast man, who lived with his male partner, and made a point of watching The Song of Bernadette, an old black and white starring Jennifer Jones, at least once a year. He had seen it dozens of times. I met him when I was living…
In his recent comments Leo Varadkar moved the debate on Irish unity forward. Free of the responsibilities of government, he is now encouraging all Irish political parties to move from aspiration for a united Ireland, to a stated objective. He also recommends two referendums, one to enable the people to express their views in principle,…
The Green Party’s proposal of a one-off child benefit payment of €560 for parents in the first month their child is born has met a surprising amount of opposition. Their coalition partners object because it breaches the terms of the Summer Economic Statement, which sets out spending limits for the budget. Others feel that it…
Thomas O’Reilly A four-day visit to Belgium by Pope Francis acted as the perfect bellwether in what many regard as Western Europe’s most secular country as greater than-expected numbers flocked to see the Pontiff, dissuaded by showery weather and a last-minute attempt by political elites to dredge up abuse scandals. In the first papal visit…
Pope Francis received ‘a frosty welcome’ at the Catholic University of Louvain for his praise for the role of motherhood in history, adding “what is characteristic of women, what is feminine is not determined by consensus or ideologies. It is not written on paper, but in the flesh.” Louvain expressed ‘incomprehension and disapproval’ at Francis’s…
Letter from Rome Fans of the Roma soccer team, one of the two professional squads in the Eternal City, are in a grumpy mood these days. In part that’s because of the team’s uneven performance, but even more so because of perceived mismanagement by its American owners, Texas billionaire Dan Friedkin and his son Ryan.…
Notebook The driver was not having a good day! First he was annoyed by two children on bicycles and then was seriously irked by an elderly driver whose car stalled at traffic lights and, to cap it all, another motorist made it almost impossible for him to overtake. The children, the elderly driver and the…
It’s certainly a welcome development that Justice Minister Helen McEntee is to drop her proposed “hate speech” legislation. It would have led to all kinds of prying actions by the State into our private lives and opinions. It would have been a harness on freedom of speech, and perhaps ideas. And since Catholic values are…
David Quinn
Michael Kelly
Martina Purdy
Nuala O’Loan
Mary Kenny
John L. Allen Jr.