One year on from the passing of Pope Francis, the world feels, in many ways, more fragile than it did when he left us. Conflict has deepened in parts of the Middle East. Political discourse has hardened, with the rise of polarisation, nationalism and, at times, outright hostility. Multilateral cooperation—so essential to addressing global crises—appears…
Let 2026 be the year we reject the quiet excuses that hold us back – “it’s too difficult,” “someone else will do it,” “my effort won’t matter.” These thoughts do not move us forward; they keep us where we are. Real change begins when we refuse to accept inertia as inevitable and instead choose to…
Ireland is famously a friendly country, and most visitors still seem to find a welcoming and sociable attitude to life here. So it seems a puzzle as to why there are so many studies and reports about the ‘epidemic’ of loneliness in this country. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre claims that 20% of Irish…
The last few years have seen members of An Garda Síochána participate in Pride events with garda cars in Pride livery, but how appropriate is this? Many other causes and businesses take part also from AIB to Dublin City Council, but a police force is surely in a different category. Last year, it was found…
Memories of being stopped at loyalist blockades haunted my mind as I watched scenes of fuel protests across Ireland. I remember quite well being stopped at Belfast’s Ormeau Bridge, which was blocked off by loyalist women and wee children, standing defiantly. I beckoned the police officer who was standing on the bridge, redirecting traffic. I…
Sunday May 3, 2026 marks the 35th Birthday Remembrance of the newly Canonised St Carlo Acutis. To mark this special occasion, the first Birthday Remembrance since Carlo was Canonised last September, Mass will be offered on Sunday May 3, 2026 at 12pm in Holy Family Church, Ardfinnan, Co Tipperary – the home of the First…
Last year, I wondered on social media whether Donald Trump was the most pagan president the United States has ever had. I can’t remember exactly what had prompted this, but I remember having the same thought when he said at a remembrance service for the murdered conservative commentator, Charlie Kirk, that, unlike Kirk’s wife, he…
Dear Liam, Some letters are easier to write than others. This one is not. Not because there is too little to say, but because there is so much. How do you begin to write about someone who has been a priest, composer, companion and dear friend for so many years? How do you find words…
After a promising Easter, the Church faces its most urgent question The priests can breathe now. After the long procession of Holy Week — the oils, the darkness, the fire, the alleluias — Easter Monday brings something like silence. They’ve earned it. The reports filtering in from parishes around the country tell an encouraging…
As I have sometimes mentioned, I grew up in Sandymount, a serene seaside suburb of Dublin 4, where Catholic and Protestant neighbours were generally on good terms, even though they kept separate spheres in education and recreation. Our immediate neighbours were Methodist and Presbyterian, whose services of worship were Bible-based and austere. But we also…
Eilis Mulroy
Mary Kenny
Martina Purdy
David Quinn