Glen Hansard’s recent untimely death left fans reeling. When someone dies in their fifties, particularly if they leave a widow and young child behind, the shock is enormous. And yet, given our human fragility, the surprising thing is not early death but how many of us manage to live well into our eighties and sometimes…
Last December, the American online magazine, Compact, published an article that became one of the most widely discussed of the year. The author was a would-be scriptwriter hoping for a career in the TV industry, but his career was stillborn. He was the wrong colour and the wrong sex, that is to say, he was…
I don’t think anyone could have predicted twenty years ago that one of the biggest threats to the alcohol industry would be young people willingly choosing not to drink. However, that prediction has come true. According to data released by Bloomberg in 2025, more than US$830 billion in market value has evaporated since 2021 from…
A view from the Plinth A visit from Donald Trump to Doonbeg for the Irish Open golf is in prospect. I am not expecting to face the political dilemma of whether to attend a sitting in Leinster House for an address by the President. That is not going to happen. It’s not even clear whether…
The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy. Russian information operations on European social media are aimed at undermining trust in Ukraine and reducing its support from European partners. This activity also extends to Ireland. Narratives and topics concerning immigration and asylum, Ireland’s housing crisis, and the failures of liberal…
The habit of millions of Filipinos to play violent video games online could have long-term consequences for their mental condition, especially that of young people. Some experts say it is very likely that such games can cause emotional and psychological problems, while others disagree, claiming there are no negative effects. But research from the American…
It is up to the Ukrainians to decide their course of action, and us to support them Dear Editor In a thoughtful piece on Catholic ‘just war’ principles, Breda O’Brien wrote that an entirely just war might never have been fought. And she finds fault even with some aspects of Ukraine’s valiant defence against Russia’s…
In the first week of August, delegates from Dominican Lay Fraternities across Europe gathered at Maynooth College for their four-yearly assembly. Representatives came from 21 countries, stretching from Ireland in the west to Ukraine in the east, and from Norway in the north to Italy in the south. The assembly was formally opened with Mass…
When it comes to love affairs, or romantic entanglements, the question of who is luring whom can be a complex one. A Kenyan bishop, Hieronymus Emusugut Joya, has asked women to respect the celibacy of Catholic priests and not to tempt or “force them into affairs”. He has banned overnight guests at priests’ residences, and…
How would you feel if, in order to practice your Catholic faith, you had to comply with a draconian series of laws which dictated whether there could be a church, who could be appointed as a bishop or priest, how priests were to be trained, when and where worship was allowed, who could belong to…
Breda O'Brien
David Quinn
Senator Ronan Mullen
Mary Kenny
Nuala O’Loan