Search Results for 'Catholic Church'

The right of people to practice their religion freely without interference or repression from the State is an important right in any democracy, and equally no religion should have a privileged position in the State or inform government policy and legislation.

Fr Pat Connaughton, Bishop Casey’s secretary for a while, recalled a time when he and the bishop were going to a meeting in the archbishop’s house in Thurles. “Our car broke down. No matter. We were near Thurles. We left it on the side of the road, and walked the rest of the way, the bishop’s arms swinging by his side. We were passed by Bishop Kevin McNamara, in many ways the very antithesis of Casey. McNamara looked out the window, and remarked to his driver: ‘There goes Eamonn in drama again.’

On Sunday September 19 1976 the former bishop of Kerry, Eamonn Casey, succeeded to the See of Galway. He had been appointed some months beforehand, but was delayed by his long goodbye tour of Kerry. The people of Kerry were heartbroken to lose him.

Sherry FitzGerald welcomes No 60 Seacrest, Knocknacarra, to the market for sale by private treaty. This is a spacious four bed detached family home built circa 1987 and located on a large site with a south facing rear garden to make the most of the sunlight.

Dear Editor,

Though a feast day on the Catholic calendar since the 1600s, St. Patrick's Day only became a public holiday in Ireland in 1903. Prior to the early 20th century and a structured national approach to honouring the saint, the Briton was resurrected from time to time and pushed to the front of many campaigns. The feast day's events, which drew large crowds, were always managed either directly, or were heavily influenced, by the local Catholic church. That is not surprising, Patrick was a Christian after all. Many pre-Famine St Patrick's Day events were organised by the temperance movement, headed by Fr Theobald Mathew. The movement encouraged the Irish nation to pledge to abstain from alcohol for corporal and spiritual betterment, but sometimes with mixed results. The St Patrick's Day teetotallers procession through Castlebar in 1841 was not one of that organisation's high points. The march was to be a show of strength, an opportunity for the Rev Gibbons to display his and his members' accomplishments. Frustratingly for Gibbons, a large number of the group arrived to take up their places in the parade’s ranks while under the influence, having soundly violated their pledges. The non-teetotaller band abandoned the depleted parade midway through to join the town’s festivities, causing the temperance leaders to consider organising a teetotal band of their own that they could depend on.

The discovery of the remains of almost 800 children on the site of the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, over a five decade period must herald the beginning of an “honest appraisal” of what went on at all the other homes throughout the country, a local TD insisted this week.

DAVE AT Large, a new comedy starring Bryan Murray, of Fair City and The Irish RM fame, tells the extraordinary story of the controversial and ground breaking Irish comedian Dave Allen, whose rise to fame saw him become one of the most challenging yet popular comedians and television personalities of his day.

Galway’s arts scene has long thrived on the input of countless cultured ‘blow-ins’ who landed here from near and far, and then enriched us all with their creative endeavours. New Yorker John Farrell, who has just relocated to Galway, is well equipped to carry on that honoured tradition and indeed he is relishing the prospect of doing so.

The Galway County Council has agreed to invite Pope Francis to the county at Monday’s monthly meeting.