To Kidnap a Pope: Napoleon and Pius VII by Ambrogio A. Caini (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, £ 20.00 / €24.00) Frank Litton Of all the themes in European history, the relationship between Church and state, religion and politics, has had the greatest impact in making Europe what it is. With the French Revolution,…
God is Not a White Man: And other revelations by Chine McDonald (London: Hodder & Stoughton, £16.99 / €19.70 ) Kevin Hargaden Have you ever noticed the way tights are marketed? The hosiery section of Marks and Spencer is an unlikely place to experience a revelation, but God can use any means to illuminate us. Dispatched…
Revolutionary: Who Was Jesus? Why Does He Still Matter? edited by Tom Holland (SPCK Publishing), £19.99 / €23.99 It is a very popular question today to ask ‘who is X’? The answer expected is one that must, in a few short sentences, sum-up exactly who X is. That is an ambitious target, so to add on a second…
The Leap of Faith (RTE Radio 1) is nearing the end of its run and last Friday’s edition dealt with water, which has long been a central symbol in religious ritual. This episode marked National Holy Wells Day (June 13) with Fr Brian Grogan SJ and Sr Helen Grealy, who is involved in the Loving…
It will be a strange experience for many people going back to cinemas after being so long out of them. I don’t think I ever spent 16 days outside a cinema as an adult, let alone 16 months. Little did any of us know in February 2020 that this would be our lot. Having said…
From the Grand Canal to the Dodder: Illustrious Lives by Beatrice M. Doran The History Press, £20.00/€23.00 With the lifting of restrictions and the prospect of fine summer weather many people will be thinking of getting out and about in Dublin and elsewhere exploring localities and trying to find out about their past history and the…
The Irish to the Rescue: The Tercentenary of the Polish Princess Clementina’s Escape by Richard K. Maher (Peter Lang, Oxford, €39.95) This is a collection of papers presented to a seminar to commemorate the rescue and escape of the Polish princess, Maria Clementina Sobieska from Innsbruck in August 1719. Maria Clementina was born on July 18,…
Ignatian Spirituality and Interreligious Dialogue: Reading Love’s Mystery by Michael Barnes SJ (Messenger Publications, €24.95/£22.95) In medieval times there was a curious contrast between pilgrims to Jerusalem – whose minds were fixed on the Christian experience – and travellers such as Marco Polo, who went beyond Jerusalem and encountered on their explorations a great range of…
Ballymacandy. The Story of an Ambush by Owen O’Shea (Merrion Press €14.95) Joe Carroll The first day of this month was the centenary of the IRA ambush at Ballymacandy of 12 RIC/Black and Tan policemen. It was a one-sided fight with 59 listed IRA men against the cycling policemen who were coming back from Tralee to…
Saints, Scholars, Heroes by Fr Éamon Flanagan CM (Kolbe Publications; ISBN: 9-780952-962724; €7.00+postage) This is a collection of poems about people, places and events and much more besides. They are written from a Christian and communitarian perspective, are immensely personal and are imbued with a Catholic sensibility. Fr Éamon Flanagan celebrates in verse Fr Eamon O’Hara…
Brendan O’Regan
Aubrey Malone
Peter Costello