Ennistymon Púca statue sidelined after criticism Plans to erect a púca statue in the Clare town of Ennistymon have been put on hold following criticism from local people, who described it as “grotesque and scary”. Clare County Council had proposed placing the six foot tall piece on a plinth at the end of Lower Church…
Children’s Corner The pandemic has been a stressful time with everyone not being able to socialise or go to school for so long. Despite Ireland beginning to reopen, it can be tough to get back to normal life. Why not make something that helps people relax? Lava lamps are undoubtedly satisfying to observe, there’s something…
Restrictions are lifting and spring is upon us, so there’s no better time to take to the sea for a swim writes Jason Osborne Availing of the improved weather in recent weeks, I made my way to the nearby coastline for a plunge into the icy waters. Rarely does an activity result in such a…
Everyday Philosophy If you do something voluntarily, it must be because you wanted to do it, at least in some sense. This apparently innocent statement can in the hands of some philosophers have quite disturbing implications. First, let’s think about the statement itself. It is true as far as it goes. Even if you do…
Personal Profile In the 1970s, the then Superior General of the Jesuit’s – Fr Pedro Arrupe, called by some the second founder of the Jesuits – had what Fr John Guiney SJ calls “a tremendous insight”: in order for the Jesuits to promote and preach the Faith, they must also promote justice. It was this…
We are standing in a liminal space, an in-between space, how things were and how things may be in the future. Over the past year we have been unmoored, disconnected from our usual routines and while there has been an experience of loss there has also for many been an experience of gift, of being…
It is not enough today to be merely a saint; we must have a saintliness demanded by the present moment. Simone Weil wrote that, and she is right. We need saints demanded by the present moment and I would like to propose someone whom, I believe, fits that description, Henri Nouwen, the priest and popular…
Myself and my husband are of course, like everyone, so happy at the prospect of a return to some normality – but I am worried about balancing this return to a new normal while not leaving behind some of the things that we learned during the pandemic. What your feeling shows is really good emotional…
Malian mother gives birth to nonuplets A Malian woman has given birth to nine babies, which is two more than the doctors had detected during scans. 25-year-old Halima Cisse gave birth to the nonuplets in Morocco. Mali’s government flew her there as she required specialist care. “I’m very happy,” her husband told the BBC. “My…
Studying is difficult at the best of times, but especially as the weather turns for the better, writes Jason Osborne A number of friends of mine have been settling down to study recently as one test or another reared its head. The studies range from college to exams for work, but the fundamentals remain the same. In ordinary…
Chai Brady
Ben Conroy
Ruadhán Jones
Bairbre Cahill
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Wendy Grace