Rían Wood Recently Bishop Fintan Monahan remarked on the current challenges faced by teenagers and young people going through the educational system in modern Ireland. Teenage stress is at an all-time high, and as a teenager, albeit in the less academic and more ‘laid back’ Transition Year, I can witness these experiences first-hand. The…
The first months of any new year often seem to drag a bit. It’s not the most exciting time of year with the country still in the grip of cold weather, the Christmas bills being paid off and summer tantalisingly out of our grasp. I miss that post-December calm now. My husband and I were…
The spring sun is finally making an appearance and the garden is about to become very busy as the growing season gets under way. The sunny days in March provide the opportunity for an increasing range of gardening tasks such as preparing seed beds, sowing seed, cutting back winter shrubs and generally tidying up. Shrubs…
There is nothing less relaxing than a holiday. That is an axiom all parents of small children should bear in mind when gazing naively at travel brochures. This axiom is all the more burning in its bitter truth if your holiday involves – as ours did last week – travelling through four snow-and-ice-covered countries in…
My 17-year-old son announced recently that the timing of Lent is perfect this year. He will arrive at the first match of the senior Gaelic football season without having a crisp, biscuit or sweet in his system for seven weeks! We both know that there is more to Lent than help with the pre-season training…
Medical Matters Cancer is estimated to affect up to one in two people in their lifetime in Ireland, where it currently accounts for about 30% of all deaths. Indeed, the number of new cases of cancer is steadily rising on the back of an ageing population with about 40,000 diagnoses being made last year.…
A book to last a lifetime As Mother’s Day looms closer and closer, finding the perfect gift can be a real challenge. However, a visit to the National Museum of Ireland Country Life in Castlebar next month will make your decision-making much easier, as it is providing the opportunity for you and your mother to…
Children’s Corner Displays of incredible strength have been a form of entertainment for centuries, whereby performers attempt to lift or endure the force of extremely heavy weights. Usually known as ‘strongmen’, these performers would dazzle crowds with their incredible feats, and would compete with one another to show their uniqueness. One strongman was Pierre…
Pope Francis’ marriage exhortation is a rich source of advice for families, writes Julie Kavanagh In the coming weeks, many parishes across the country and beyond will begin to host a series of parish conversations as part of their preparations for the World Meeting of Families 2018. This series will give anybody who wants to…
Love Notes My wife died suddenly last year and I am facing my retirement years alone. It seems all my hobbies are for two together. My children and grandchildren visit me at weekends, but my weekdays are long and very lonely. How does a widower in his 60s fill his days? ANSWER: Losing…
Maria Byrne
Paul Gargan
Bairbre Cahill
Dr Kevin McCarroll
Colm Fitzpatrick
Wendy Grace