The first sign that something was seriously threatening the unity of the Anglican Communion came on October 3, when, following the official announcement of Dame Sarah Mullally’s appointment as the next Archbishop of Canterbury – the first woman to hold the post in over 1,400 years – Laurent Mbanda, President of the Council of Primates…
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) held its annual congress this year in Killarney, Co. Kerry, bringing together hundreds of primary school teachers from across the country for three days of debate and decision‑making. As a delegate for the third year running, I have witnessed a marked shift in the tone and focus of our union’s…
Moya Brennan’s death saddened many people. Whatever the opposite of having notions is, Moya Brennan epitomised it. She had a God-given talent and used it in service of Him. After her death, Oliver Callan interviewed Donal Lunny, who collaborated with Clannad and later, Moya Brennan in her solo career. He said, “She carried it in…
We hear an awful lot about the ‘manosphere’, that is, online discussions that sometimes tell young men to treat women in sexist, exploitative ways. There was a huge public debate about ‘toxic masculinity’ last year when a series called Adolescence was aired. The central character was a 13-year-old boy who murdered a girl who went…
The Minister of Education and Youth’s announcement of the opening of “Inclusive special classes” in September has sparked criticism from advocacy groups who say they were not consulted. The initiative, announced last week, represents the latest phase in the ongoing rapid expansion of provision for students with additional educational needs. Five postprimary schools have been…
‘The New Evangelisation’ in Ireland Dear Editor, I write to comment on Pedro Esteva’s interesting article on new style formation for student priests at Maynooth (The Irish Catholic, April 2). There are many excellent ideas in the article; e.g. that formation should include such topics as parish finances, communication and team building, collaborative leadership and…
It was a decade ago that I first encountered a Muslim in Belfast, for many years, a city of Catholics and Protestants, and few dissenters. His name was Yousef, and he had come to Ireland to escape persecution. We met on the Falls Road – the west Belfast, where it is more common now to…
Teachers must draw a clear line between their professional role as educators and as advocates for specific causes, writes Sandra Adams A recent Irish Times article by teacher Conor Murphy presents itself as a defence of empathy in education. In practice, however, it reads as an uncritical endorsement of a worldview that downplays the significance…
In this second article I shall continue with an examination of challenges facing Ireland in a security and defence context but first I need to say a little more about the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). NATO’s woes As I wrote in a piece for this newspaper in July 2024, NATO has had its share…
Two years ago, I found myself doing something I never imagined— competing at the All-Ireland Fleadh in Wexford as part of a marching band. Our Comhaltas branch in Scotland, made up largely of first-and second-generation Irish diaspora families, has always had a strong presence at the Fleadh. Traditionally, the branch had members who competed in…
Breda O'Brien
David Quinn
Martina Purdy