Posted on 23. Nov, 2017 in Achievement, Church of Ireland, Community, Vocation
The Jonathan Swift festival takes place this year, Nov 23rd to 26th and marks the 350th anniversary of Swift’s birthday. Born in Nov 30th 1667, he was appointed Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1713, making him the 50th Dean of St Patrick’s. His appointment came after failed attempts to secure employment in England, due […]
Posted on 23. Nov, 2017 in Christian Values, Community, Music
Liam Lawton is a well-known and well-loved Irish singer/song writer. Following his ordination in 1984, Fr. Liam served in Carlow Cathedral Parish and Knockbeg College before the late Bishop Ryan gave him the opportunity to pursue his music ministry full-time; a ministry that he continues to this day -bringing much joy and solace to people with […]
Posted on 16. Nov, 2017 in Christian Values, Community, Ecology, Feminism/Women in the Church, Sexuality, Young people
Comedian Breda Larkin created a one-woman show, inspired by the moving statues in Ballinspittle. Called “Breda’s Way” the show started in Ballinspittle and then became an epic journey around Ireland, visiting town and grottos along the way. Bringing a statue of Mary with her for company and inspiration, she interacted with people from all walks […]
Posted on 09. Nov, 2017 in Book Reviews, Community, Death, Economy
Conor Mcguire – an artist and columnist for the Western People has written a book called the “Hunger House”. Set in Ballina, Co. Mayo, just before the Great Famine in Ireland, the book looks at the lives of people in this less well known time in Ireland. Speaking with Pat Coyle, Conor argues that this […]
Posted on 09. Nov, 2017 in Christian Values, Church Teachings, Community
This year is five hundred years on since the beginning of the Reformation. It was October 31st 1517 when Martin Luther first nailed his ninety-five Theses to the door of Wittenburg Church. Fintan Lyons OSB recently wrote a book entitled, “Martin Luther – The Challenges Then and Now”. He talks about how Martin Luther was […]
Posted on 02. Nov, 2017 in Christian Values, Community, Education
Baroness Nuala O’Loan spoke recently at an Education Conference in Dublin, looking at the future of Catholic Education. Over two hundred stakeholders in faith schools together with educators gathered for a series of presentations from a panel of high profile speakers drawn from Ireland and Britain. At the conference Nuala defined herself as a “contradiction” […]
Posted on 19. Oct, 2017 in Christian Values, Community, Economy, Young people
In this two part housing special we take an in-depth look at some of the things that are moving Ireland in the direction of less home ownership and towards more precarious rental situations. In this first part, Margaret Burns, from the Jesuit Centre of Faith and Justice looks at how housing trends have changed dramatically […]
Posted on 19. Oct, 2017 in Christian Values, Community, Economy, Homelessness
In this second part of looking at rebuilding Ireland, Margaret looks at the Government action plan, Rebuilding Ireland. She says it is doomed to fail unless there is a fundamental change in ideology. She explores how a housing policy that is largely based on being serviced by the private sector will alway have investment and profit as […]
Posted on 12. Oct, 2017 in Christian Values, Community, Missionary
October is Mission Month and recently Irish missionaries have been acclaimed for their work. The most notable of them was Fr. Shay Cullen who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. However Matt Moran, the author of the book, “The Legacies of Irish Missionaries Lives on” says there are many more and the last two […]
Posted on 05. Oct, 2017 in Christian Values, Community, Ecology, Gospel Values, Humanitarian Aid, Young people
Last week Ireland’s citizen’s assembly met to look at how Ireland can become a leader in tackling climate change. However Niamh Garvey, Trócaire’s Head of Policy and Advocacy said that Ireland’s emission are “off the charts” and are contributing to hunger and a loss of water in some of the poorest countries in the world. In […]