POPE Leo XIV has declared St John Henry Newman a ‘doctor’ of the Church, bestowing one of the Catholic Church’s highest honours on the deeply influential 19th century Anglican convert, who remains a unifying figure among conservatives and ...

I HAVE come to the conclusion that I may be a racist without knowing it. Sounds stupid, doesn’t it, but last week I read something which got my blood boiling, leading me to that thought. It revolves around asylum seekers.

I WATCHED the 1993 blockbuster Schindler’s List again last week. For those of you who don’t know what it is about, the film tells the story of a German industrialist who saved the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Second World War.

TIME and seasons come and go. So far, 2025 seems to have moved very quickly. It’s hard to believe this week we begin the month of August. Traditionally, August is associated with harvest and thanksgiving.

THERE was uproar recently when it was announced that the government planned to do away with the €1,000 support it had provided to help students and their parents or guardians towards the €3,000 contribution fee, commonly referred to as the ...

LET’S be honest – we all know the price of food has shot through the roof, irrespective of what our illustrious leaders tell us.

A prophet is grounded and yet courageous in witnessing the good news

I estimate I spent over €2,000 on parking fees alone in one hospital

I GOT a little surprise the other day – my bank gave me a refund. OK, I didn’t actually receive a gift as such – after all, a refund is really the return of your own money – but nevertheless it was a welcome boost to the often-stretched bank balance.

A MORAL compass offers direction informed by values. Christianity is a wonderful moral compass, based on Gospel values of faith, hope and love.

I HAD to laugh to myself last week when I read that the notion of a tourism tax for people visiting the capital had not been put to bed.

I WAS SHOCKED to say the least when I read last week that two teenage boys had been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years’ detention, with the final 18 months suspended, for the sexual assault and rape of a 16-year-old girl.

I GOT A CALL last week from a reader of this column (yes, believe it or not, some people do correspond with me to either complain or agree with my views on certain topics) to talk about the road works at St Mary’s Cemetery.

Ongoing work on Carlow's Dublin Road, which will include new cycle-lanes and traffic lights, has columnist Michael Godfrey wondering how necessary it is 

I urge people to set aside whatever misconceptions they have of events such as Pan Celtic and go to one or more of the events over the coming days. You may be surprised by what you find

I AM ALL FOR anything that will improve the overall appearance of Carlow.

I WONDER what the next ‘revelation’ regarding the misuse of public money will unearth.

Almost ten years after Ireland legalised same-sex marriage, Rebecca Beehan asks the question: when was the ‘tipping point’ for acceptance of queer relationships in Ireland?

The loss of one life is one too many. That may sound like a cliché, but just think of the heartache the death of a loved one causes to immediate family and friends.

There is nothing better than sitting in front of a roaring fire and looking out at the snow-covered fields for a few minutes, but then reality bites when the power will be restored?