“How do you get away with writing what you do?” This was the question someone asked me in Philadelphia, as we gathered for the National Board meeting weekend, which was followed up by comments that things I had written in this paper were somehow radical or revolutionary. Inspired by the perception that I am a [...]

Back in July, I listened to something that I never thought I would ever hear from a Fine Gael politician, let alone the Taoiseach himself: a rebuke, not of an individual Bishop, but of the Vatican itself. This reproach was brought about upon the presentation of the report of the Commission of Investigation into the [...]

Since my appointment as Deputy National Chaplain, I have been fielding questions on my position on Northern Ireland, and my immediate response is that I have always loved Donegal, but if you are talking about the six counties, it gets a little more complex. Complex is probably the best word to describe the situation in [...]

Sometimes it is difficult to point to an exact moment in one’s life that they can say is a defining moment, or even more difficult is to recognize those events that developed a person into who they are. When I was 12 years old, a series of events took place that would help to change [...]

The two hardest things about writing a column such as this are deciding what is important enough to include and how to begin; now that I’ve started I just have to figure out what to include. A few days ago I was woken up by the fire alarm, and upon arriving in the church was [...]

I recently finished reading “Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything” which is a disturbing, but interesting, look at various issues facing society. Perhaps the most disturbing exploration, and one that has received the most publicity, is that the biggest factor leading to the Nationwide decrease in crime, especially violent crime, during [...]