Gun being held to our heads on EU fiscal pactPublic debate here on the direction EU is taking is now more important than everSat Feb 04 2012 - 00:00
A funny thing happened Enda on his way to the Davos forumLEAVE ENDA alone. Stop blaming him for blaming us for the mad spending frenzy.Sat Jan 28 2012 - 00:00
Real meaning of Christmas calls for respectWe don’t all agree on the meaning of Christmas – but tolerance ensures we can accept thatSat Dec 24 2011 - 00:00
If we fix our human glitch, we can then save the worldIt is understandable that most of us couldn’t care less right now about climate change. And yet...Sat Dec 17 2011 - 00:00
Children sacrificed to gods of the market by inhuman budgetThese measures reflect a failure to see human beings as anything but economic unitsSat Dec 10 2011 - 00:00
Audits bring church closer to urgent goalFIRST, AN apology. Last week I wrote that social workers were unwilling to report concerns regarding suspected abuse by colleagues…Sat Dec 03 2011 - 00:00
Time for media to reflect on wider injusticeACCORDING TO the recent Rape Crisis Network national statistics and annual report 2010, some 20 per cent of survivors of child…Sat Nov 26 2011 - 00:00
Crass economic view of Vatican link a sure way to burn bridgesIt is petty indeed if the Labour Party is seeking to placate its core vote by closing the embassySat Nov 12 2011 - 00:00
'Missing girls' far outweigh party politicsIN SEPTEMBER, the World Bank published World Report 2012 – Gender Equality and DevelopmentSat Oct 29 2011 - 01:00
Claim against Dana's brother cannot be taken lightlyTHERE IS an allegation that a child was abused for 12 yearsSat Oct 22 2011 - 01:00
Parents must ensure Catholic schools endureVETERAN IRISH- American politician Tip O’Neill lost the first election he contested, for a seat on Cambridge city councilSat Oct 15 2011 - 01:00
Schools need reform, not just cutting of costsTHIS WEEK, I was talking to someone whose job takes him into schools all over LeinsterSat Oct 08 2011 - 01:00
My respect for Buddhists, and one especiallyGIVEN THE controversies afflicting the Catholic Church, and the general rise of scepticism, you might think Irish people have…Sat Sept 17 2011 - 01:00
Taoiseach went further than voicing angerTHE BLOGGER known as the “Thirsty Gargoyle” has a link to a YouTube video of Stewart Lee, stand-up comedian and one of the authors…Sat Sept 10 2011 - 01:00
Utilitarian view of education must be deniedWHAT IS education for? It’s probably enough to get my Teaching Council registration revoked, but it occurred to me that I would…Sat Aug 20 2011 - 01:00
Riots point to society's broken moral compassONE OF the most surreal accounts of the British riots was written by clergywoman Hayley Matthews in the GuardianSat Aug 13 2011 - 01:00
Mandatory reporting law requires wisdom of SolomonAS DAVID Norris has now retired from the race for the presidency, there are many lessons to be learned from his bruising experience…Sat Aug 06 2011 - 01:00
State is also in dock over child safety failuresThe church has rightly been excoriated for not applying guidelines – but will State be censured?Sat Jul 16 2011 - 01:00
New hospice resources should help bring dignity to dyingThe moment of death is profound, so we must ensure that it is done as well as possibleSat Jun 11 2011 - 01:00
Children paying price for economic confidence trickIt is the vulnerable who suffer from our belief in salvation through savage austeritySat Jun 04 2011 - 01:00
With the stroke of a pen, bishops made themselves answerableSome church leaders, fearful at being held up over others’ actions, tend to foot-dragSat May 21 2011 - 01:00
Let's not rush to link suicide with bankruptcy worriesDuring the Celtic Tiger era, the pressures of affluence were blamed for rising suicide ratesSat May 14 2011 - 01:00
Reforms in school education must be taken in right spiritCurriculum changes must not be just another cynical cost-cutting exerciseSat Apr 30 2011 - 01:00
How depth of heroes has been confused with crass celebrityThe Dalai Lama is first in a series of high-profile visits to Ireland. Let us salute courage, not fameSat Apr 16 2011 - 01:00
Quinn must do more homework on value of religionIf the only choice for schools in future is to be free from religion, it is no choice at allSat Apr 09 2011 - 01:00
Valuing virtue will bring its own rewardsValues such as truth-telling went down the Swanee during the Celtic Tiger yearsSat Mar 26 2011 - 00:00
Bieber fixation helps take girls' minds off Joan Burton's plightWhy should teens worry about women’s Cabinet roles when they have a pop icon to dream of?Sat Mar 12 2011 - 00:00
Good relations with Jewish people often a papal priorityThere is nothing novel in Pope Benedict saying he does not blame Jews for death of JesusSat Mar 05 2011 - 00:00
Real challenge begins after the electionAt times during the general election it appeared as if we were merely an economySat Feb 26 2011 - 00:00
Anyone but FF for this party outsiderMY COLLEAGUE, Sarah Carey, gets accused regularly of writing party political broadcasts for Fine Gael. Lucky old SarahSat Feb 19 2011 - 00:00
Women still must jump too many hurdles to win in politicsPolitical parties have a big influence on how many women’s names appear on ballot papersSat Feb 12 2011 - 00:00
'Yesterday Once More' as parties sing same ol' tunePolitical posturing does not alter the fact that a change of government will not change a thingSat Feb 05 2011 - 00:00
Challenging the culture of self-harm and suicideDe-stigmatising the idea of seeking help early is vital for people with mental health problemsSat Jan 29 2011 - 00:00
Stiff regulation of political donations is long overduePolitical funding reform would send signal that nod and wink culture is being challengedSat Jan 22 2011 - 00:00
How Obama took meaning out of senselessness and tragedyWe could do with just a snippet of the powerful leadership and vision displayed in TucsonSat Jan 15 2011 - 00:00
We need a transformation, not least a transformation of valuesA narrow focus on sectional interests ultimately means damage for all of usSat Nov 27 2010 - 00:00
Mere recovery cannot save us - what we need is transformationThis crisis is in large part one of values – and only radical change in those can rescue IrelandSat Nov 20 2010 - 00:00
Donor conception a minefield of unregulated practiceCould it be that deep down we are not that interested in the rights of children – especially if they interfere with those of …Sat Jun 12 2010 - 01:00
Irish church is now badly in need of a wake-up callThe Catholic church will die, and deserve to die, unless it finds a way of really being “good news”Sat Jun 05 2010 - 01:00
Running battles for equality of the sexes are still far from wonIt is wonderful that young women take equality for granted, and yet deeply worryingSat May 29 2010 - 01:00
Church members must unite on child protection and reformIt would be wrong to deny there has been an important shift among Catholic lay peopleSat May 15 2010 - 01:00
Prison reform for the price of a pensionA review of Irish prisons would cost relatively little – and why not start with women?Sat May 01 2010 - 01:00
Decisive early intervention needed to save at-risk youngWe are allowing a system to chew up and spit out children, despite the efforts of many front line staffSat Mar 06 2010 - 00:00
Crucial rights of the child vindicatedThe Supreme Court decision in the sperm donor case has profound implicationsSat Dec 12 2009 - 00:00
'Mental reservation' and the church's version of truthHow could twisted accounts of truth be let obscure the protection of children from abuse?Sat Nov 28 2009 - 00:00
Little to choose between FF and FG policies if election occursEven as they debate triggering a poll, Greens know power is necessary to affect climate changeSat Oct 10 2009 - 01:00
Punitive responses continue the cycle of violencePADDY BARRY, the 82-year-old Waterford pensioner who died after a break-in at his home, looks like an archetypal gentle granddad…Sat Sept 26 2009 - 01:00
Time to teach everyone the facts of deathDebate on advance care directives needs to be part of a wider review of end-of-life issuesSat Sept 19 2009 - 01:00
To tax or to cut: it's just a mess for familiesA Minister who accepts that the only priority is to make savings is not fit for officeSat Sept 05 2009 - 01:00
Young people's distress is a wake-up callThe rise in self-harm points to something seriously askew in our priorities as a countrySat Aug 29 2009 - 01:00
