Entering the hearts of young people can only be done by listening, according to a well-known Dublin nun who has used music as a window to help young people realise their inner gifts for decades. Sr Bernadette Sweeney is a self-proclaimed risk taker and certainly deserves the title. Currently based in Crumlin she has been…
What sort of you will you be?’ – that is the title of a book that caught my eye just now. Today our youngest finishes secondary school and will shortly sit his exams for the Leaving Cert. It feels like a momentous step. For nearly 20 years I have been baking bread rolls for school…
A parent’s perspective I attended Mass recently in St Eustace’s Dominican church in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. The homily preached by Fr John Harris OP was one of the best I’ve ever heard. You could hear a pin drop as he painted a vivid description of the Gospel story where the apostle, Peter, jumps out…
Photographs can pierce your heart. The other day I happened upon a photo of one of the girls taken about two years ago. It transported me back to that balmy summer’s evening, when just she and I had driven her to the top of the cliffs together for some “special time”. A warm, fragrant breeze…
Green Fingers June, your garden is starting to peak. Beds and borders are full of colour and life. All the work you put into weeding and hoeing is now paying off. As shrubs and perennials fill out, there will be less and less weeding to do. Annual weeds are no longer a major problem…
Building imagination with creative kids Childhood is a time to let imagination grow and flow. Building interesting creations and getting involved in fun-filled activities is definitely one way of fostering this in kids. ReCreate invites all the family to Corkagh Park in Clondalkin, Co. Dublin for an afternoon of making and creating on Saturday, June…
What could a mother buy as a gift for her daughter’s First Holy Communion? A mum on Facebook commented that she had asked her own daughter what gift she would like. The reply – “You have already bought me my dress and you have organised a party with a bouncy castle but if you want…
Children’s Corner It’s an age-old experiment that most people are somewhat familiar with but many may not know exactly how to recreate the spectacle. Volcanoes are one of nature’s most beautiful, and devastating, phenomenon. They spur on so many questions. An easy way to teach and talk about them – or just have fun…
Big benefits for baby swimmers Babies have a real affinity with water, and because they’ve spent nine months floating in the womb, being in warm water feels much more familiar to them than being on dry land. However, this early confidence usually diminishes with time, and can even turn to fear. What better way to…
Medical Matters It’s now just over 50 years ago since it was first announced that smoking causes lung cancer, a moment which spelled the beginning of a decline in tobacco use. Despite all of the negative effects from smoking and restrictions on its use in public places, a considerable number of people still use…
Chai Brady
Bairbre Cahill
Maria Byrne
Paul Gargan
Dr Kevin McCarroll