Her name was Luca, but her family called her Pearl, and she was one of eight children born into the Henry family in Charlestown, Co. Mayo. Her parents came from a line of teachers whose legacy could be traced to 1844 and the “hedge schools” where the poorest in society got an informal education. In…
I signed up for this… in the name of the local GAA club as part of a national fundraising event where a club might gain some prize money if its members and friends can walk 4000km during a five-week window of opportunity. In honesty and more personally, I signed up because I know I need…
Dear Editor, I had a short review in Books of the Year in The Irish Catholic of Up from the Ashes [The Irish Catholic – December 12, 2024]. I just want to draw attention to how certain minorities in Syria are fearful for their security and very lives under their new rulers, the HTS. Before…
I suppose one of the most reviled stereotypes by liberal progressives is the “trad wife”. This is the figure of the woman who stays at home to care for her family, preside over the kitchen and mealtime, and manage the household. There used to be, in Ireland long ago, popular entertainments which actually rewarded this…
It has not been receiving much coverage here, but over in Britain a major row has been taking place over the refusal by the British Government to order a national inquiry into the rape of thousands of underage girls in towns across Britain by men of mostly Pakistani background. Typing the last few words of…
In modern culture, it is still fashionable for reporters to be dispatched to hospitals to find the first-born of 2025. Children, whether the media admits it or not, remain the world’s most valuable resource. “The best hope for the future,” was how former Irish American President, John F. Kennedy, put it. And so, north of…
Notes in haste – An Irish Pastor writes is a new monthly series detailing the busy lives of Irish parish priests We ran out of hosts at Midnight Mass. Any priest in Ireland will understand what that would feel like. And it can happen so easily. We all know that the Christmas Eve Mass is…
In March 2021, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference announced a Synodal Pathway for the Catholic Church in Ireland. This pathway has overlapped with the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission,” which, after three years of deliberations, concluded in Rome last October. According…
Embracing the present moment with realism, and planning for a future full of hope, go hand in hand. Archbishop Dermot Farrell, reflecting on the motto chosen by Pope Francis for the Jubilee Year 2025, ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, has posed a critical question: ‘Hope comes to those who journey in hope… Could we risk a journey…
This week, many parents will be breathing a sigh of relief as their little ones go back to the classroom, but for some Catholic parents, there is anxiety too. Just last weekend, in a meeting with about 2000 Italian parents and educators, Pope Francis warned Catholic educators against bullying, stating that it prepares students for…
Martina Purdy
Mary Kenny
David Quinn
Maria Steen