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The Miracle Club

Film reviews can make funny reading! By this, I mean the way in which they often offer totally contrasting viewpoints about the same thing. I am thinking about the performance of actor Laura Linney in the film The Miracle Club’, now showing in cinemas, which drew great acclaim from one reviewer and the damnation of… Read More

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France: Religion in a Secular State

Image: www.jusoorpost.com Earlier this week France’s Education Minister Gabriel Affal announced a ban on abayas – the long, flowing dresses worn by some Muslim women – in public schools.  Secularism is a key concept in France’s Constitution, and religious markers considered conspicuous or “ostentatious”, including Islamic headscarves, large Christian crosses, and Jewish yarmulkes (skullcaps) have… Read More

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Trial by Media: Ryan Tubridy and Huw Edwards

Images: www.www.irishexaminer.com & www.theguardian.com For the past three weeks, RTE has been plunged into crisis by the front-page news scandal of the pay revelations concerning the hugely popular presenter, Ryan Tubridy. Now across the water, the BBC finds itself in hot water as the highly respected television presenter, Huw Edwards is named as the person… Read More

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At What Cost?: Russia vs Ukraine

Image: www.abc.net.au In recent days the major international news story has been the decision by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that his government will provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks and approve requests by other countries to do the same. Naturally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed his satisfaction at this development calling them, “important… Read More

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In Town Before Christmas

  Image: www.ireland.com When visiting the center of Dublin at this time of the year we all know we can expect crowds, and we have been told that after two years of Covid restrictions there will be a great swell of people converging on the city. This was in my mind when I went in… Read More

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The Greatest Teacher

The Greatest Teacher There is a well-known saying which goes as follows , ‘If you want to feed me today, give me rice.   If you want to feed me for the rest of my life, teach me how to grow rice.’ The long-term goal is education, and it is the teacher who is at the… Read More

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Giving Prisoners Hope

Image:www.thejakartapost.com As I write this the Annual Conference of the Association of Prison Officers are meeting in Sligo and some of the issues that have arisen were a subject of a news report headline. While I listened, I was further reinforced in my view that there are few things in life worse than the prospect… Read More

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Looking Forward: Advent & Christmas

  For many years, and I can remember it well, there was a great tradition in Ireland of the pre-Christmas shopping season beginning on the Holy Day, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. People from all over the country would descend on Dublin and there was a real sense that the Festive Celebrations… Read More