Category: Opinion

Shared values in a United Ireland

A United Ireland is “the most practical and sensible way to resolve headaches over Brexit” writes Mary Kenny It’s being suggested in a much-discussed new book by Kevin Meagher that one of the solutions to current political problems is – a united Ireland. In A United Ireland – Why Unification is Inevitable and How it…

Amnesty’s awful silence

Dear Editor, Recently I wrote to you about The Ray D’Arcy Show on radio and an interview with Rónán Mullen. I made the point that it was evident where D’Arcy’s sympathies lay on the subject of abortion. Rónán Mullen was simply superb in answering Ray D’Arcy’s points and it was all too clear that Mr…

Our bishops get ready to meet Pope Francis

Times have changed since the last ad limina, writes David Quinn It is 10 years since the Irish bishops made their last ad limina visit to Rome. It will take place from January 15-25. Literally, an ad limina apostolorum means ‘to the threshold of the Apostles’. It is a pilgrimage to the tombs of Ss…

Church-run? Church-owned!

Dear Editor, So the head of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association is defending the core role of religion in schools (IC 5/1/2016). But why is this even necessary? Despite the common phrase ‘Church-run’, most Irish schools are in fact ‘Church-owned’, built by parishes on their land. If people want to push the Faith out…

A man of faith and vision

Antoni Guterres promises a revived United Nations, writes Paul Keenan How long, if at all, one wonders, do staff at the United Nations pause to wish one another “Happy New Year”? The question is posed from a knowledge that the multitudinous issues with which the international body concerns itself do not ebb and flow with…

Favourite books of 2016

So much of life, particularly today, constitutes an unconscious conspiracy against reading. Lack of time, the pressure of our jobs, and electronic technology, among other things, are more and more putting books out of reach and out of mind. There is never enough time to read. The upside of this is that when I do…