Róise McGagh looks at the affect Covid-19 has had on children’s education and what you can do to help your kids out at this time There was recently a call for schools to reopen so Sixth Class pupils could say goodbye to their classmates and teachers. Catherine Martin TD, Green Party spokesperson for education…
Sweet Treats With Eastertide coming to an end on Sunday, if you haven’t made an Easter Simnel Cake yet, you’re definitely missing out – and there’s no time like the present. The name simnel probably comes from the ancient Roman word simila, meaning fine flour. Simple, every day, simnel bread has been made in…
Personal Profile Ruadhán Jones Faith has always been an important part of her life, explains Sarah Seoige, a teacher of religion and Irish at Athlone Community School and an active member of political party Aontú. Sarah considers herself very fortunate to have had “two of the most wonderful parents any child could have asked…
Mindful Living One of the hidden challenges of modern life has to do with the exercise of free will. So many of our attitudes to life and how we habitually live it remain hidden in plain sight. Many people remain blissfully unaware of the extent to which their worldview and their choices in life…
Half the time I couldn’t tell you what day of the week it is. I can’t get my head around the notion that we are at the end of May but I know without doubt that this Sunday is Pentecost. Pentecost crowns Easter, bringing the liturgical season of Easter to a close and powerfully reminding…
I grew up in a close family and one of hardest things I ever did was to leave home and family at the age of 17 to enter the novitiate of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. That novitiate year wasn’t easy. I missed my family intensely and stayed in touch with them insofar as the…
Mental health impact of virus can be severe The mental health impacts of Covid-19 may linger after the pandemic is over according to new research. It found some patients hospitalised due to the virus are likely to suffer from anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder months or years after they leave hospital. The risks may…
Isolation could lead to risky behaviour, writes Chai Brady Social distancing and staying at home have become the new norm and even as restrictions are eased there are still a lot people doing this to protect each other during the pandemic. However, there are concerns this could be leading to dangerous behaviours due to…
A Parent’s Perspective My daughters all love the film, Pride and Prejudice. Times may have changed, but there’s something timeless and appealing about the spirited Elizabeth Bennet and the dashing, debonair, Mr Darcy. It is the perennial theme of a great love, a story that never grows old, boy meets girl, there are some…
Discernment isn’t an easy thing. Take this dilemma: when we find ourselves in a situation that’s causing us deep interior anguish do we walk away, assuming that the presence of such pain is an indication that this isn’t the right place for us, that something’s terminally wrong here? Or, like Jesus, do we accept to…
Chai Brady
Bairbre Cahill
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Maria Byrne