Dear Editor, Over the past couple of weeks, I have read numerous articles in relation to the recent controversy surrounding Maynooth seminary. These have included speculation regarding the priesthood and what form it should take in this time. There are some who believe that our more recently ordained priests are of a more traditional mindset…
Category: Letters
Denying environmental degradation akin to ‘flat Earth’ devotion
Dear Editor, Interesting that there exists in many countries branches of an organisation known as: The Flat Earth Society. They believe that it is possible to fall off the edge of the world and vanish into emptiness. They base their belief it seems, at least in part, on the Gospel instruction where the Lord commanded…
Rehousing the Central Catholic library
Dear Editor, Peter Costello has written a fascinating article (Preserving the Catholic Library for another Century IC, 25/8/16) about the Central Catholic library. I have a long association with the library (indeed, I was one of the many UCD students who availed of the library’s treasures in the 1960s and 1970s). Although I am not now…
Well done, Mary Kenny on coverage of abortion issue
Dear Editor, Well done to Mary Kenny for dissecting the claim that a trip to an abortion clinic is ‘so very ordinary’ with details of some of the horrors of the abortion industry. She gives Minister for Health, Simon Harris a mention too. I wrote to the Irish Times questioning Minister Simon Harris’ congratulations to…
The bias of RTÉ’s programming
Dear Editor, RTÉ recently gave great prominence to anti-Catholic programmes; Last Orders denigrated the religious orders and Legion of Christ on the disgrace of the founder of the Legionaries of Christ. These programmes were well flagged and advertised in advance and given a prominent slot after the 9pm news. However, the pro-Catholic programme on Bishop…
A picture worth a thousand words
Dear Editor, The photo of the four young women accompanying Greg Daly’s article (‘Keeping your range of university options open’, IC 18/08/2016) is a probably unintentional but appropriate illustration of a modern phenomenon in higher education – the vanishing male university student. Yours etc., Hugh Gibney, Athboy, Co Meath.
Dangers of demonising Irish people
Dear Editor, Hard working Irish families pay huge taxes many of them used to pay for the problems caused by our government, a lot of them to pay for benefits for people claiming to be refugees and asylum seekers, but not all are genuine. When they are refused this status there is a long legal…
Defending Archbishop Diarmuid
Dear Editor, I wish to voice my total and absolute support for Archbishop Diarmuid Martin with regards to Maynooth. He is perfectly right to remove his seminarians even if there are only three. He cannot and should not take any risk that could affect the formation of these three men to the priesthood. These allegations…
God, games and remembering what really matters
Dear Editor, Thank you so much for your coverage of the Olympics in recent weeks, and especially in the issue of August 18. The Irish Catholic should be commended especially for its focus on the faith dimension of the games, something too often overlooked. In other years this might be understandable, but it is hard…
The road to Hell is paved with a plethora of bad intentions
Dear Editor, Fr Rolheiser in a convoluted article (IC 4/8/16), has given us his version of Hell, and on reading it I am wondering are we both in the same Church. Much of what he has written is contrary to what I had always believed. For clarification I turned to the Catechism of the Catholic…




Courtney McGrail


