In my secondary school, we had a lovely English teacher called Sr Anna. To my 16-year-old self, Sr Anna, with grey wisps and translucent skin against a black veil, seemed at least 70. She was feisty though. And she was concerned for our teenage souls, often lacing our literary discussions with debates on morality. Except…

I hope Dr Hilary Cass wins in the battle for children’s bodies, writes Dualta Roughneen The response to the Cass Report in the UK must be strikingly familiar to people in Ireland. The Cass Report, a lengthy and in-depth review, led by Dr Hilary Cass, aimed to “ensure that children and young people who are…

Most politicians are dancing down the road to assisted dying with talk of meaningless ‘safeguards’, writes Michael Kelly On Monday of this week, the British parliament discussed the issue of euthanasia. The House of Commons heard passionate pleas from many MPs calling for people to be allowed to end their lives in a way that…

With the release of the comprehensive GRACE report (Global Researchers Advancing Catholic Education) assessing the realities facing Catholic education in Ireland just a week after the Teacher’s Union (INTO) called for the removal of the religious education qualification to teach in Catholic schools, it almost feels that when it comes to education in this country…

Dr Amalee Meehan Religious Education (RE) internationally and in this country, is considered a key expression of Catholic school ethos and identity. In Ireland, as enshrined in the Education Act of 1988, it is the responsibility of the school patron. A new in-depth study uncovers a mixed bag of results about the reality of RE…

Dr Catherine McCormack My first observation on the GRACE project’s reports is the worrying number of stakeholders who report that they received no training for their roles in Catholic schools; and of those who received training, generally it was once-off or less often than yearly. Also concerning is the fact that of those who received…

Last October the South East Technological University (SETU) launched their ‘Gender Identity and Expression Policy’. But lecturer Colette Colfer, a lecturer in world religions questioned the document’s impacts on compelling speech and policing language. One of her concerns was that the policy maintained that a refusal to use preferred pronouns was an example of “unlawful…

The pro-Palestinian disturbances on American – and other campuses – have been widely compared to the youthful demonstrations which helped to bring an end to the Vietnam war in the 1960s. Certainly, the protests against the American involvement in the Vietnam war were momentous (Australia and other allies also took part). Two Irish-American Catholic priests,…

As Ireland becomes increasing multireligious and multicultural, empathy to other faiths especially Islam is of great service to the common good writes Dr Niall Coll, Bishop of Ossory. Let me say how incredibly helpful it is to have such an excellent quantitative and qualitative study of important aspects of the shape of Catholic education in…

To divest or not to divest – we need a detailed examination of how schools can be Catholic in a challenging secular culture writes Dr Brendán Ó Caoimh The GRACE Report presents a profile of the people who lead, manage and teach in Catholic schools, at both primary and secondary level. Therefore, it serves as…