Expanding prison capacity is more a coping strategy than a solution to prison overcrowding, Jason Osborne hears. Prison overcrowding has been back in the news, with recent reports claiming that well over one hundred prisoners, both men and women, have been sleeping on mattresses in prisons due to a lack of suitable space. As well…
The internet has been asking questions about famed singer Elizabeth Woolridge Grant’s faith, better known as Lana Del Rey, after she visited Rio de Janeiro’s famous Christ the Redeemer statue while on a recent trip to Brazil. While visiting a famous landmark is no cause for speculation, the popstar went to the chapel of Our…
Saint of the week One of the host of remarkable men the early Church offers up is St Ephrem the Syrian, who is now known far and wide for his remarkable hymns and poems that offer us a profound glimpse into the Divine. Probably born in the year 306 in the city of Nisibis (modern-day…
Too many of us have too limited a conception of conversion. We often think of it as something for other people, maybe especially for people who adhere to other faiths than Catholicism. This is certainly an element of conversion, and possibly the form we’ve read the most about. After all, history is full of peoples…
Belfast actor James Martin is set to be recognised for his contribution to the arts by Ulster University. Star of the Oscar-winning Northern Irish short film, An Irish Goodbye, Mr Martin is the first person with Down’s Syndrome to win film’s biggest award. Responding to the news of his Honorary Doctorate, James said: “I will…
Deputy leader of pro-life party Aontú in the North, Gemma Brolly has expressed regret following disappointment in the recent local elections. Sinn Féin was the big winner of the election, and is now the largest party in both local government and Stormont for the first time after making huge gains. With all seats counted, the…
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has released its data for marriages 2022, and it makes for very interesting reading for those interested in the faith landscape of modern Ireland. There were 22,555 opposite-sex marriages in total in Ireland in 2022, with 19,672 of these being first-time marriages in the State. The CSO’s official webpage for…
Crisis pregnancy organisation Gianna Care has welcomed the Government’s “baby bundle” pilot scheme, but added that they could be doing “a lot more” to support women facing crisis pregnancies. The “baby bundle” pilot scheme includes toys to encourage early communication and a range of items to support new parents after the birth of their child.…
The protest that has broken out in Inch, Co. Clare over the housing of at least 30 asylum seekers in a former hotel and restaurant is the result of “missing” consultation with residents, a local priest has said. Monday evening saw 34 asylum seekers arrive by bus at Magowna House, after which 50 local people…
A year to the week since their statue of Our Lady was shattered in a “mindless act of vandalism,” Springfield parish in Tallaght, Co. Dublin has seen the same statue of Mary decapitated this week. Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper, Fr Bill O’Shaughnessy said that it’s “just extraordinary” that it’s “been a year to…