Today, October 10, is World Sight Day. This year, this important international day focuses the world’s attention on the importance of eye care in young people and inspiring children everywhere to love their eyes. World Sight Day is an opportunity to highlight the importance of protecting our eyes and vision, raise awareness of vision impairment and…
About four years ago, I received a telephone call from a priest who invited a friend and I to a meeting. The priest didn’t actually say what the meeting was about – he just wondered if we might be interested in learning about his mission. We travelled to the Donegal border, and the priest introduced…
When Bono of U2 tweaked the lyrics of the song ‘Pride’ a year ago in the wake of the massacre of young people at a music festival in Israel he came in for immense criticism. “Early morning, October 7, the sun is rising in the desert sky. Stars of David, they took your life but…
How strong an affinity is there between Ireland and the Jewish people? I would say, little enough. As a country we do not have a history of warm relations with them. We have never had a strong Jewish presence in the country. In World War 2 we did not take in many Jewish refugees (mind…
There are many differences between the peace process in Ireland and the peace process in the Holy Land, such as it is now. And, in my experience, few things irritate both Israelis and Palestinians as the convenient transplanting of their own conflict over land to our own. I was in Belfast at the weekend, and…
I once knew a hairdresser called Anthony or AJ, a Belfast man, who lived with his male partner, and made a point of watching The Song of Bernadette, an old black and white starring Jennifer Jones, at least once a year. He had seen it dozens of times. I met him when I was living…
In his recent comments Leo Varadkar moved the debate on Irish unity forward. Free of the responsibilities of government, he is now encouraging all Irish political parties to move from aspiration for a united Ireland, to a stated objective. He also recommends two referendums, one to enable the people to express their views in principle,…
The Green Party’s proposal of a one-off child benefit payment of €560 for parents in the first month their child is born has met a surprising amount of opposition. Their coalition partners object because it breaches the terms of the Summer Economic Statement, which sets out spending limits for the budget. Others feel that it…
Thomas O’Reilly A four-day visit to Belgium by Pope Francis acted as the perfect bellwether in what many regard as Western Europe’s most secular country as greater than-expected numbers flocked to see the Pontiff, dissuaded by showery weather and a last-minute attempt by political elites to dredge up abuse scandals. In the first papal visit…
Pope Francis received ‘a frosty welcome’ at the Catholic University of Louvain for his praise for the role of motherhood in history, adding “what is characteristic of women, what is feminine is not determined by consensus or ideologies. It is not written on paper, but in the flesh.” Louvain expressed ‘incomprehension and disapproval’ at Francis’s…
Martina Purdy
David Quinn
Michael Kelly
Nuala O’Loan
Mary Kenny