Sweet Treats As we finally digest the large quantities of rich food from December, we can roll our way into January. With empty presses as far as the eye can see, every household needs something easy and delicious to fill the selection box sized hole in tummies. No one can resist a smile as…
Category: Family & Faith
Addiction to drugs: Does it destroy free will?
Science of life Does addiction to drugs destroy the capacity for free will in the addicts, rendering them incapable of saying ‘no’ to drugs? This question is currently before the High Court of the State of Massachusetts, US, and will be adjudicated on shortly. The specific case in question is that of Julie Eldred,…
Family News and Events
Family-friendly museum events Though the holidays are over, the National Gallery of Ireland is offering more occasions for the whole family to have fun and be inventive together. The drop-in session ‘Tearing through nature’ on January 14 from 11.30-3.30 is a creative workshop inspired by Turner’s landscapes, where you can create your own dramatic landscapes…
Love Notes
text + author
Faith in the Family
My children say that I have a ‘brass neck’. They are right in so far as I do believe it pays to take a chance, to ask that vital question, to push the boundaries. However, I would prefer if they would describe me as audacious rather than as having a brass neck! I looked up…
The inspirational genius of Turner
‘Good morning, Mr Turner: Niall Naessens and J. M. W. Turner’ Exhibition in Print Gallery, National Gallery of Ireland, free admission to January 31, 2018 Every January the NGI mounts an exhibition of its collection of Turner water colours. For conservation reasons these can only be exhibited in the season of low winter light. The…
New year, new me
Every January, I have great plans for how wonderful the year ahead is going to be. They usually involve a multitude of new projects that encompass all sorts of areas and include the whole family. One year, I made out a detailed list about how all aspects of a person’s life need to be attended…
Dad’s Diary
Time is our most precious commodity. As we get older, the years pass by like days. Suddenly, it’s 2018 – which is strange, since just yesterday it was 2008, or 1998 or perhaps even 1968 – depending on how long you’ve been around. For us adults, time passes quickly, and we don’t change dramatically from…
Gardeners must do their bit to preserve the ecosystem
Green Fingers A recently published study from Germany is cause for great concern. It was a study of butterfly and diurnal moth species and was conducted in nature reserves over a 40-year period. It showed that of the 117 species recorded in 1840, just 71 could be found today. That is a 40% decrease.…
The boon of the bean
Medical Matters Coffee is one of the most widely drank beverages in the world and indeed in Ireland is consumed by about 75% of the population. While many of us are familiar with the caffeine boost we get from coffee, it is actually only one of up to 1000 bioactive compounds it contains that…


William Reville


Bairbre Cahill
Peter Costello
Maria Byrne

Paul Gargan
Dr Kevin McCarroll