I love the idea that our senses are the doorway to the soul. So, it is through our touching and tasting, our listening and seeing, even our smelling and our sense of our own body that we encounter God. The bottom line is, we are people of the Incarnation and it is through being incarnate –…
Mindful Living Dr Noel Keating Meditation is the practice of being still in body and mind. When practiced from a secular perspective – for example, in the world of medicine – the intention is often focused on practical benefits for the individual who has taken up the practice. Meditation is enormously beneficial and, over…
One of the great contradictions of parenthood is that you, at once, want your children to acquire knowledge, and you want to protect them from knowledge. After all, protecting children’s innocence means deliberately keeping certain types of knowledge from them. Ever since the Garden of Eden, we have equated increased knowledge with paradise lost. We…
Green Fingers March – this month – has a very appropriate name, growth in the garden goes from an almost stand still to quick march now that spring is here. March in the garden is the month for rose pruning. Weather dependant mid-March is ideal but if it is very cold, leave it until…
You’d be mad not to trad! For those in the family who like dance and music, check out the Kilkenny Tradfast which will see some of the country’s world-famous acts taking to the stage while also showcasing the best of local talent in the city’s theatres, pubs and public spaces. The highlights include the first…
A Parent’s Perspective I was at a very interesting talk recently in St Saviour’s Dominican Priory in Dublin. It was one of a series of lectures and was conducted by Fr Thomas Joseph White, OP, Director of the Thomistic Institute at the Angelicum in Rome. In recent months a lot of my social life seems…
My daughter’s friend describes himself as not having faith. Then a couple of weeks ago my daughter came to me saying, “When we were in that graveyard, he blessed himself at every grave he stopped at.” She asked him why. It would seem that he is not so much an unbeliever as one who believes…
Children’s Corner Get your children off the couch and away from the TV so they can focus on something much more fun and creative. Making toilet-paper-roll owls is easy and is a great way to make use of something you would otherwise have thrown out. These colourful creations can be kept to decorate anywhere…
A view of the flu For history lovers and those who want to discover more of their own heritage, the National Museum’s Country Life department is offering a chance for attendees to learn about one of the most severe flus that hit the country. The Enemy Within – The Spanish Flu in Ireland explores the…
Everyday Philosophy Peruse the Catechism of the Catholic Church or a collection of papal encyclicals from the last century or so and it won’t be long before you find a denunciation of utilitarianism, the philosophical position that’s often summed up as being about the pursuit of ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’. Utilitarianism…
Bairbre Cahill
Paul Gargan
Maria Byrne
Chai Brady
Ben Conroy