Jesus says that if we follow him the cross, pain, will find us. That message is chronically misunderstood. Maybe we would understand it better if Jesus had worded it this way: The more sensitive you become, the more pain will seep into your life. We catch the connection then. Sensitive person suffer more deeply, just…
Ireland’s Revolutionary Diplomat: A Biography of Leopold Kerney by Barry Whelan (University of Notre Dame Press, US$50.00 / €54.95) Joe Carroll Leopold Kerney has not been treated well by some Irish historians over his controversial meetings with a top level Nazi official and a German intelligence agent in Madrid during a critical phase of World…
If prizes for hypocrisy were going, it would be hard to narrow down a short-list these days. Politicians, of course, have always been capable of the greatest of stomach-churning double-standards and u-turns. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar – citing his experience as a doctor – repeatedly told the Dáil that he was against abortion, then mysteriously he…
Dear Editor, John McGuirk calls Greta Thunberg “a very impressive young woman”, (IC 22/08/19), yet compares her to the Children’s Crusade’s deluded child leaders. Disclaiming any desire to criticise her, he gives the impression he’s itching to do just that, mocking her “holy mission, sailing to the promised land”. He lists failures of “the Green…
A Million Little Pieces (16) There have been so many great films made about alcohol addiction you wonder what new angle they could possibly come up with. For me the most moving moment in Days of Wine and Roses, one of the best of the genre, was when Jack Lemmon – who’s responsible for…
Food for thought walk For those who are enthusiasts of Ireland’s ancient past, the Ennis Gourmet History Walking Tour will be right up your street. The walk takes attendees on a journey that serves as an edible experience of the town’s past and present. The tour, led by Jane O’Brien of the award-winning Ennis Walking…
With all the fractious controversies raging over Brexit, I like to listen to all sides of the debate, and there are certainly more than two! For the most part Irish commentary tends to range from mildly anti-Brexit to regarding those who voted to leave as stupid. But there are exceptions and we got relatively balanced…
“May have been the losing side,” says Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the cult sci-fi show Firefly about his part in a recent civil war. “Still not convinced it was the wrong one.” Over a year on from 2018’s referendum on repealing Ireland’s constitutional protections for unborn human beings, it’s clear that for many of those…
Two bishops ordained in China after agreement The ordination of Bishop Anthony Yao Shun of Jining in China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region was the first episcopal ordination in the country following the provisional agreement signed in 2018 between China and the Vatican. The ordination was “the first to take place in the framework of the…
Notebook The 10 am weekday Mass in Newcestown on the August Bank Holiday ended at 11.30 am. What’s more, no one bolted for the door during the last hymn. Instead, amazingly, they stood and sang together. And most stayed on afterwards to talk to their neighbours. It was a Bank Holiday after all. No…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Michael Kelly
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan
Greg Daly