For generations, Ireland sent priests and religious across Africa and Asia, helping to build up local Churches. Today, in some places, that direction of travel has reversed, with priests from those Churches now coming to serve in Ireland. For Fr Anselm Emechebe MSP, a Nigerian priest serving in Kilsaran, Co. Louth, that reversal is personal.…
Ossory Diocese has, officially, a new bishop, as Bishop Ger Nash was installed on Sunday, September 13, following his appointment as Bishop of Ossory on July 29. The ceremony of Installation, which took place in St Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny, was led by Archbishop Dermot Farrell, and attended by parishioners, family, friends and bishops from dioceses…
Though Seán Farrell has worked in war zones, it is Ebola which still frightens him in a different way. In 2014, the Trócaire CEO led the organisation’s response to the outbreak in Sierra Leone, spending weeks in communities where despite households under quarantine, the virus was rapidly spreading. “It was one of the scariest things…
Education Nation returns with Claire Kilroy as first guest Education Nation returned this week for its second season, and it was fitting that the first guest was Claire Kilroy, CEO of the Association of Patrons and Trustees of Catholic Schools (APTCS). Her appointment in September 2025 marked a significant moment for Catholic postprimary education in…
When Declan Hannon climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand in August 2018 and lifted the McCarthy Cup, the significance of what Limerick had achieved was immediately understood. Forty-five years of hurt had finally come to an end. A generation of supporters who had grown up knowing only disappointment could finally call themselves All-Ireland champions.…
Of all the discourses he delivered in his nearly eight-year pontificate — with the exception of his 2013 resignation — Pope Benedict XVI’s September 12, 2006, address at the University of Regensburg sparked unprecedented global reaction. During his address, the pope cited the 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus’ views about the relationship between…
Ihe most popular version of the Irish republican song, The Foggy Dew, was penned by a priest at St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast, which is about to mark its 160th birthday. It was one of the many fascinating facts I learned on a recent tour, led by local historian Steven Corr. St Peter’s was forty years…
Joe Sheridan’s GAA journey and an infamous afternoon in Croke Park The 2010 Leinster football final will probably always be remembered for what happened after the final whistle rather than what happened during the 70 minutes that preceded it. For much of the afternoon, it appeared that Louth’s 53-year wait for a Leinster title was…
Following in the footsteps of Sr Clare Crockett On August 8 2026, 12 pilgrims and two Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFR), representing nine countries, gathered in Quito, Ecuador, for an extraordinary journey of faith, service and evangelisation. Inspired by Servant of God Sr Clare Crockett, our ‘All or Nothing Mission and Pilgrimage’ would take…
Religion is “going through a great transformation”, according to Fr Laurence Freeman OSB, but the question is not simply whether it will survive. The deeper question, he believes, is what kind of religion will emerge. Speaking to The Irish Catholic about the World Community for Christian Meditation’s (WCCM) online series ‘The Future of Religion’, Fr…
Renata Steffens
Martina Purdy