Dear Editor, The so-called ‘silent majority’ will sleepwalk into a “post Catholic” (Ruairi Quinn quote) ‘liberalised’ Ireland unless they wake up and realise that they ARE a majority, and a majority that can make a huge difference to the direction Ireland is heading by letting their voices be heard. There is an election coming up…
Category: Opinion
Good advice on children and conflict
Dear Editor, I have been impressed in recent months with your new ‘Parenting Matters’ series by Dr Colm Humphries, but was especially moved by the most recent column, ‘Children are able to sense conflict without seeing it’ (IC 10/12/2015). Dr Humphries’ description of how we can instinctively pick up on things being wrong, even when…
Unborn not protected by UN
Dear Editor, The opening quotation in the UN’s explanatory document relating to the Bill of Human Rights is taken from Article 1 and reads as follows: “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights…” This appears to mean that the UN believes that the unborn has no human rights whatsoever, let alone…
Congratulations on the 1916 Rising commemorative issue
Dear Editor, Congratulations on the quality of the commemorative 1916 Rising issue of the paper on December 17. I found it highly informative and many articles provided a new perspective on the events of the Rising. I particularly enjoyed the personal accounts from the Dublin archives, the Capuchin friars and the writings of the female…
Remembering Bishop Dermot O’Mahoney
Dear Editor, The passing of Bishop Dermot O’Mahoney recalls his influence in the birth and growth of St Ciaran’s parish in Hartstown, Dublin 15. In 1978 it was all green fields and there was not a single house in the area. The influx was all young people starting families but not going into the confessional…
RTÉ should show good work of religious
Dead Editor, Over five days recently the BBC carried a marvellous programme about the work of an Irish Presentation sister from Cork in the most deprived areas of Manchester entitled Sister Rita to the Rescue. I hope this series will be rescreened by RTÉ. What a hope! RTÉ is only interested in reporting on the…
Top books of 2015
Taste, as St Augustine said some 1700 years ago, is subjective. That should be acknowledged upfront whenever someone recommends a reading list. In my case, I need to state too that I’m not a full-time critic. It’s not like I’ve read 200 books this past year and these rose to the top. I read when…
The Paschal banquet
The Church teaches that celebration of the Eucharistic is directed toward the intimate union of the faithful with Christ, writes Cathal Barry
The limits of history and geography
The relationship between us and God is the deepest relationship of all, writes Fr Martin Henry
Encountering God’s loving invitation this Christmas
“The challenge of Christmas is to allow ourselves to once again fall in love with the Christ child”, writes Editor Michael Kelly

Courtney McGrail
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Cathal Barry
Michael Kelly