Although gaming brings joy to millions of people globally, it is important to remember that virtual reality can have real effects. The world of gaming has evolved rapidly in the last few decades; now it is an immersive online experience where gamers can communicate internationally with one another, create their own unique characters, and enter…
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…
From a life of music to a life of silence, one chaplain is now listening to the voice of students. Born in 1967, Fr Gerard Magee was reared in a turbulent period when the “troubles were about to break out”. He received a Catholic education from St. Malachy’s College, North Belfast, which was also complemented…
A festival for the whole family One of Dublin’s most inclusive and creative community events, The Five Lamps Arts Festival, will be shining a light on the north inner city’s unique arts, culture and social life. The Festival centres around and takes its name from the ‘Five Lamps’ – a decorated lamppost with five lanterns…
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…
Religious scrupulosity can be destructive, writes Colm Fitzpatrick Although piety is a virtue that should be extolled, there are circumstances when devotion can become neurotic and damaging. All of us have compulsive tendencies at times that take shape in either the form of thought or action. This may be as simple as wondering if…
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…
Colm Fitzpatrick
Maria Byrne
Paul Gargan
Bairbre Cahill
Dr Kevin McCarroll