Jason Osborne discusses the benefits of getting on your bike With Ireland returning to ever-greater levels of normality despite the ongoing presence of the coronavirus, the issue of the daily commute is beginning to rear its head again, albeit in a different way. With children and teenagers returning to schools and students preparing to return to colleges…
A Parent’s Perspective I watched a short, gripping video recently presented by the priest and author, Fr Mike Schmitz. Well known for his internet presence, especially his YouTube videos, this one really grabbed my attention, with the title: ‘Why Are Some People So Annoying?’ His basic premise is that being annoyed is a choice we…
Personal Profile Fr Kevin McNamara is a man familiar with making the best of bad situations. “I have a philosophy that you have to grow where you’re planted. Every place that I have worked in, including my current place, is bringing great challenges,” he tells The Irish Catholic. Parish priest of Moyvane, Co. Kerry, Fr…
What kinds of things help induce mysticism in our lives? I was asked that question recently and this was my immediate, non-reflected, answer: whatever brings tears to your eyes in either genuine sorrow or genuine joy; but that response was predicated on a lot of things. What is mysticism? What makes for mystical experience? In…
September still seems like a time of new beginnings to me. I’m sure it’s a legacy of my school and college days, when early September marked a return to work, and an advancement to the project of a new academic year. The mornings are fresh and I feel keen to leave behind the lethargy and…
There is a clematis in flower along our fence, big, rich, flouncy purple flowers. The sepals are feathery with a darker purple rib running the length of them. At the heart of the flower are stamens, purple merging to an almost lime green. Next to it is a hydrangea. Lilac-fading-to-white florets surround a head of…
Everyday Philosophy The Unitarian Church on St Stephen’s Green used to have an eye-catching poster: it said something like: “We ask the big questions: we don’t preach answers.” They’re not the first to claim that as a badge of honour. Being more comfortable with questions than with answers is, for many, a mark of intellectual…
Despite the challenges, returning to the classroom is the right thing for children writes Ruadhán Jones It’s difficult to gauge the impact Covid-19 has had on young people, but the likelihood is that it will not be positive. While the physical threat the virus poses children is slim, the effects on mental health and wellbeing…
We are really struggling with managing our finances especially since our income has been affected during the Covid-19 pandemic. What advice to you have to help us to get back on track? The first thing to do is to sit down and budget. This requires an open communication with your spouse so you can both…
The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason. T.S. Eliot [pictured] wrote those words to describe how difficult it is to purge our motivation of selfish concerns, to do things for reasons that are not ultimately about ourselves. In Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral, his main character…
Ruadhán Jones
Maria Byrne
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Bairbre Cahill
Ben Conroy
Wendy Grace