Category: Feature

Aid in Myanmar remains difficult – children in particular are suffering

In parts of the devastated earthquake regions of Myanmar, ongoing attacks by the military are hampering the deployment of aid workers. The military government rejects a temporary ceasefire in the civil war country. According to local media (Wednesday), junta leader Min Aung Hlaing emphasised that the “necessary defence operations” would continue. Myanmar’s democratic underground government…

The enduring legacy of Flannery O’Connor at 100

This year marks the 100th birthday of the legendary Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor. Her hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia, drew admirers from all over to take part in the festivities, which included a cake and a ‘Dress Like Flannery’ contest. Writers from all over came to her grave to place their pens, described Fr Damian Ference,…

Hugo Duncan: The wee man from Strabane

‘I get down on my knees and thank God that I’m still standing’ North of the border, Hugo Duncan is a household name on the radio, an ebullient, sprightly entertainer who regales his listeners with funny anecdotes, quips about his inordinate love of cream buns, shout-outs to aficionados in far-flung parts of the province and…

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From construction to man of the cloth

Joanne Savage The Reverend Bill Shaw is director of the 174 Trust, an organisation birthed 23 years ago that is dedicated to peace-building, reconciliation, dialogue and Christian community development. It is situated in the nationalist New Lodge estate, near loyalist Tiger’s Bay – working class areas that were both seriously affected by the Troubles. The…

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The Spanish Camino has undoubtedly been the European tourism phenomenon of the 21st century.  Seeking meaning beyond materialism and recourse, for a time at least, to a freer and less controlled way of living, the numbers completing this mystical Spanish trail have risen from fewer than 100 in 1967 to almost 500,000 in 2024. This…

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