A newly elected city councilor in Cork, Ireland, wants to stop the practice of opening meetings with a prayer. He also calls for the removal of a crucifix from the council chamber.
Ireland
Posted inArts & Culture, News
What Frederick Douglass learned from an Irish antislavery activist: ‘Agitate, agitate, agitate’
Frederick Douglass traveled to Ireland after escaping slavery in the U.S. and there was inspired by the politics of Irish nationalist leader Daniel O’Connell.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
The genius of James Joyce: Sin, guilt and the redemptive power of laughter
For James Joyce, humanity’s faulty condition “is happy because faults, errors, mistakes and misunderstandings” are the birth of comedy, writes Gabrielle Carey in a new biography.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
Catholic Movie Club: What happens when family and vocation collide in ‘Some Mother’s Son’
What do we do when we find ourselves, or someone we love, torn between convictions and relationships?
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Ireland recognizes Palestinian statehood: Why many Irish people resonate with the conflict in Palestine
Palestinians face a much stronger neighbor who apparently can occupy territory with impunity. Irish people, with a strong cultural memory of British rule, have a visceral reaction to such a situation, he suggests.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
‘Philomena’ asks: In the shadow of the church’s abuse, why do Catholics stay?
Philomena’s faith doesn’t dismiss or excuse the church’s sins, but she has made peace with living in the tension.
Posted inFaith, News
Cardinal Grech in Ireland talks LGBT issues, the synod and the Vatican’s same-sex blessings doc
Speaking at a conference about the synod in Knock, County Mayo, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, said that “Fiducia Supplicans,” will not affect the forthcoming second session of the Synod on Synodality.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Elizabeth Cullinan, the ‘criminally under-read’ bard of the Bronx Irish
Elizabeth Cullinan’s literary output was not prodigious—but her memorable characters and close attention to the Irish-American culture in which she lived made her a prominent fiction writer in the ’70s and ’80s.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
Irish legends get a proper sendoff: Carnegie Hall honors Sinéad O’Connor and Shane MacGowan
Celebrating the lives and songs of Sinéad O’Connor and Shane MacGowan, a wealth of artists performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 20 to give new life to the departed artists’ ballads.
Posted inLast Take, Politics & Society
Ireland’s ambassador to the Vatican on the meaning of St. Patrick’s Day
On St. Patrick’s Day, we have the opportunity to acknowledge the enormous contributions to the causes of peace and justice made by the Irish diaspora the world over.