This is a question many people must ask themselves from time to time. To answer it we have to have clearly in mind who the full complement of Apostles called by Jesus were. Matthew (10:1-7) provides a list of the original apostles. “And the names of the 12 apostles are these: The first, Simon who…
Elvis Presley, as I mentioned in my review of Baz Luhrmann’s movie Elvis last year, feared he would be forgotten after he came out of the army in 1960. The rock ‘n’ roll boom of the 50s had passed its peak by then. He thought he would be irrelevant to the new generation about to…
True crime dramas can be riveting especially if you can’t remember the original story. The strangest things happen, plot developments you’d never accept in fiction. You just hope that events are accurately portrayed and that the real people involved are respected. The Sixth Commandment (BBC One, Tuesday) came to an end last week and it…
This fascinating memoir by Tommie Gorman provides a most informative account of the civil and political events in Ireland – North and South – during his time as a journalist and broadcaster. It follows the course of a very varied life. Tommie was born at Hazelwood, near Sligo, in April 1956. He received his early…
A little while ago, prowling in one of the few remaining second-hand book shops in Dublin, I picked up by chance a little pamphlet which I had long known about, but had never seen. Called simply Irish Folklore and Tradition in a plain grey wrapper, it was issued in March 1938 by the Department of Education, in…
Every summer sees the publication of numbers of books about the Camino, taken of course, to mean the ‘The Way of St James’. These days this has to some extent ceased to be religious, as for many it does not now end at the Shrine of St James in the Cathedral at Compostela, but in…
Following the conclusion of its ‘subscription concerts’ at the end of May, the National Symphony Orchestra continued to be engaged in a number of Tuesday lunchtime and Friday evening programmes at the National Concert Hall. These have also come to an end as the orchestral members have embarked on their holidays. For most of August…
I’ve often thought that if all the Twitter warriors, rough coots and autocrats would just get gardening the world would be a far better place. It’s one of the best interests parents can pass on to their children, but it takes time and patience. Gardeners’ World (BBC Two, Friday) is always full of inspiration, and…
Here are two books, for two different age groups, which will provide amusing and interesting reading for children this summer when they need to escape from the all too brilliant sun and sit in the shade and read. The Most Irish Person written by Shelly Corcoran, illustrated by Angelika Sowul (Currach Books, €12.99) The first…
Thomas O’Loughlin Hospitality is something we all know about. We have all experienced true, warm hospitality that puts us at our ease. Inhospitality has also left a trail in our memories. In Matthew hospitality is offered as a key to discipleship, and inhospitality is presented as the signal of failure in following Jesus. “I was…
Peter Costello
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan