Mindful Living The contemplative traditions assert that the language for expressing and exploring the spiritual quest is silence. As St John of the Cross expressed it, ‘Silence is God’s first language’. Meditation does not create the silence – it is already there, within the person but meditation uncovers and reveals it.” Silence is the language…
Do you know that our brains are like Velcro for negative experiences and like Teflon for positive ones? That is what a psychologist explained to us recently at training for people working with families. The subject was ‘Supporting parents of an anxious child’ and we were being urged to understand that really, our brains are…
It’s story time in Kerry Our lives revolve around stories – we listen to the news, read books and regale our children about times gone past. To celebrate all things story, the Sneem International Storytelling & Folklore Festival will present artists of all ages to delight and enthral. Taking place in Kerry’s Sneem Hotel…
Children’s Corner There are lots of different types of tricks that magicians perform – sometimes they will make objects appear and disappear, saw a lady in half, or read people’s minds. One popular illusion that most stage conjurors still present today is levitation. This is the art of making something float off the ground without…
A Parents Perspective Parents worry about the amount of time that young people spend on social media. I have concerns about the nature of some of the content they might see, the hours of time wasted and the need to measure up to others they see posting online, but I have another misgiving. Being a…
Green Fingers “Fallen leaves lying on the grass in the November sun bring more happiness than the daffodils” – Cyril Connolly If left on the grass of your lawn for long enough, leaves will cause it to weaken and yellow, which will encourage fungal diseases and bare patches. Gather them up and turn them into…
It’s popcorn time! Films speak to everyone irrespective of age or race; they transport you to another world for a brief period of time where you can laugh, cry or be astonished. To celebrate the power of the cinema, Cork Film Festival will be running this November. Award-winning films from the international film festival circuit,…
It is the finest sort of autumn morning. The sun shines kindly upon the apple trees, their boughs now heavy with fruit. Clusters of ripe apples gleam red against pale blue skies. The leaves of the beech and sycamore are already turning a golden brown. Yet the ash trees stand defiantly green, in a willful…
Everyday Philosophy Tribalism in politics and ethics is an easy thing to criticise. By ‘tribalism’ I’m specifically talking here about tribalism about opinions: changing your beliefs in order to better conform with a group that you identify with in some way. This criticism is mostly right: I think this sort of tribalism is usually bad.…
Sweet Treats This is a wonderfully moreish chocolate cake, the sharpness of the dark chocolate is complemented perfectly with sweet bursts of juicy pears that are right in season this time of the year. It is a really easy recipe to whip up if you have a couple of pears getting overripe in your fruit…
Bairbre Cahill
Colm Fitzpatrick
Maria Byrne
Paul Gargan
Ben Conroy