November is the month during which Christians traditionally pray for and remember in a special way our loved ones who have died. The reality about the human condition is that we will all die some day – Benjamin Franklin captured it well when he said: “in this world nothing can be said to be certain,…
Two young buskers from Blessington in Wicklow are the “talk of the town” after getting through to this week’s X-Factor audition. The talented musicians, Sean (17) and Conor (15) Price, impressed judges with their version of ‘All Along the Watchtower’ by Bob Dylan, which was a fusion of the rock classic and modern pop-rap. Their…
Highlighting the importance of freedom of speech and democracy the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore said Katie Ascough, who was impeached as SU President of UCD, was given a “hard time”. At a conference in Waterford this week Bishop Phonsie Cullinan said: “So if you are pro-life and a SU president you will have a…
Religious instruction in Church-owned schools remains the business of school patrons, the Minister for Education has clarified. Responding to a written request from Ruth Coppinger TD, Richard Bruton reiterated that denominational schools are currently required to allocate 30 minutes per day for religious instruction, but said that unlike other subject areas, the content of schools’…
An initiative to offer people an alternative to the hype of the so-called ‘Black Friday’ shopping frenzy is gaining momentum with well-known priest Fr Brian D’Arcy throwing his weight behind it and a Cork parish adjacent to a shopping centre coming on board. The brainchild of spirituality publisher Columba Press, Bright Friday will see musicians,…
The Vice-President of the European Parliament discussed the future of Europe and her responsibility for dialogue with religions with Pope Francis last weekend in the Vatican. Mairead McGuinness MEP was in Rome for a conference entitled ‘(Re)Thinking Europe – A Christian Contribution to the Future of the European Project’, organised by the Commission of the…
Merchants Quay Ireland’s mental health team surpassed the total number of clients they worked with in 2016 by September, as the most hectic time for homeless charities approaches. As their client base grows, the head of MQI’s mental health group, Derek Parker, said that Christmas is one of their busiest times, where many homeless people…
Tourism is continuing to boost revenue in Connemara’s Kylemore Abbey, which last year returned profits of over three quarters of a million Euro according to newly released accounts. The Kylemore Trust of the abbey’s Benedictine community announced an excess of income over expenditure of €823,856 for the year ending December 31, 2016, with this being…
On the 50th anniversary since the legalisation of abortion in Britain pro-life campaigners took to the streets outside the British Embassy in Dublin. Dr Ruth Cullen of the Pro-Life Campaign said that when the law was first introduced “no one envisaged that a law which appeared restrictive would lead to a situation where one in…
Northern Ireland should consider employing a commission of specialists to run the region when the power-sharing executives cannot be established, a prominent Methodist minister has suggested. “Another election will not produce anything different – it will just produce the same people with the same issues,” Rev. Harold Good told The Irish Catholic as talks to…
Michael Kelly
Chai Brady
Greg Daly