My late father never got into too much of a fuss about Christmas. While the rest of us were dashing around like headless chickens, he always seemed to be his usual serene self. Whether his Christmas presents cost the earth or the offering was just a humble pair of socks or a scarf, his reaction…
Marriage – An Unlikely Blessing Marriage’s benefits are hardly something The Irish Catholic has skimped on extolling in the past, but one thing perhaps neglected in these pages is how it may lower the risks of developing dementia. A study of worldwide studies suggests that single people are between 24% and 42% more likely to…
“Tell me a story about when you were a boy.” That’s the unchanging instruction I have received from my eight-year-old boy at bedtime for weeks now. At first, I thought this was brought on by my father’s colourful stories of his childhood in Ballyvaughan, where fact and fiction intermingle fantastically. One recent story was about…
Sugar club screens Disney classics Running up to Christmas, the Sugar Club on Dublin’s Leeson Street is showing a series of Disney films, including such Pixar classics as The Lion King, which shows this weekend. The ‘Disney Xmas Classics’ series runs at 3pm every Saturday, and is a must for Disney lovers of all ages.…
I can feel the Christmas crazy beginning to descend. I have had great plans about being organised. I actually bought a couple of presents about six weeks ago – but then it all went pear-shaped again and I find myself with a list of things to do and a shorter Advent to do them in. Advent…
Colm Fitzpatrick explores how to cut down on costs this Christmas Christmas often elicits imagery of family gatherings, present-sharing and festive cuisine, but behind this ideal hides many financial costs and burdens. Last year, Retail Ireland projected that the average Irish household spent over €2,500 on Christmas gifts, which may find their root in…
Children’s Corner Advent begins this weekend and it’s officially time to embrace the Christmas spirit, starting by donning your Christmas jumper. Each year, Christmas jumpers get wackier and more distinctive. Yet sometimes it’s still hard to find the perfect jumper of your dreams. It’s very easy to upcycle an old plain jumper and decorate…
Youth Space Youth 2000 has been one of the main faith-building events that I have been to, writes Ruairí Ben McClintock Growing up my mother and father always encouraged me to love God. My mother used to read to us children’s Bible stories and my father prayed with us every night. Every Sunday we’d…
Medical Matters Skin is the largest organ in the human body and its visible appearance often reflects on our health and vitality. If eyes are the window to our souls, so too skin can mirror something deeper about our general health. We subject our skin to sun, rain, wind, deodorants and perfumes and probably…
It’s important to reach out to old people living alone this Christmas, writes Colm Fitzpatrick Christmas is often associated with joy, thanksgiving and family. However, for over a third of older people in Ireland, this festive holiday will only elicit fear, sadness and isolation. Loneliness, an often ignored epidemic, is plaguing the cities, towns…
Maria Byrne
Bairbre Cahill
Colm Fitzpatrick
Erin Fox
Dr Kevin McCarroll