Making Christmas magic for everyone

Elaine Noonan As we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ-child this Christmas, we are reminded so keenly of the incredible challenge that the Holy Family endured all those years ago. Mary and Joseph, far from home due to the census, faced uncertainty and rejection as they searched for a place to stay.…

The election that was and the Government to come

Senator Rónán Mullen “The people of Mayo,” Michael Ring once said, “have voted for a Taoiseach, a Tánaiste – and a Minister!” That was in 2007 when FG and Labour fought the General Election on the back of a 2004 electoral pact which they had agreed and gravely termed the ‘Mullingar Accord’. The party leaders, Mayomen Enda…

The war on the weak and the good fight

Martina Purdy When Andrew Black was a boy, his mother would often say: “As long as you have your health, son…”. And he would nod in agreement.  But years later, when he became a chaplain in a Belfast hospital, having been ordained a priest, he was meeting people, who no longer had their health, people…

Trócaire condemns final agreement at COP29

The COP29 conference has concluded on November 22, and the final agreement commits $300bn per year from richer countries to the Global South to develop climate plans. “When inflation is taken into account this is a minimal increase from the commitment of 100bn made in 2009,” Trócaire said in a statement. Which falls short on…

Parties’ proposals to liberalise abortion are ‘monstrous’ and ‘barbaric’

A TD has described moves by political parties to abolish the mandatory three-day waiting period to access abortion medication and to extend the 12-week limit to allow for abortion on request as “monstrous” and “barbaric” and asked “is 40,000 abortions since 2019 not enough?”. Responding to the Labour Party and People Before Profit’s proposals to…