NEWS & MEDIA
National Ploughing Championships ’12
When people speak of the largest gathering of people in the world they often point to the Hindu celebration of Kumbh Mela, which can have more than 70 million pilgrims in attendance during the festival. As Catholics we often point to World Youth Day. In fact WYD in...
Come and Follow Me
The call of the disciples doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. Jesus, after spending time in the desert reflecting on who he was and what his Father was calling him to do, invites an unusual group of people to follow him. These are the men who are going to help...
Listening to God’s Call on the Camino
There are places like this all around the world. Whether you visit Glendalough in the east of Ireland, Iona off the coast of Scotland or Santiago in the northwest of Spain there is an ineffable sense of something sacred. It's not just the location, which is as near...
Knock Rocks!
One generally associates Our Lady's Shrine in Knock with gentle hymns and heavenly choirs, but on the last Friday in July Knock rocked to the sound of a very different style of music. It was an evening of final sound checks for the musicians getting ready for the...
Are You Ready For The Knock Youth Festival?
It's almost time. We're nearly there. At the end of this month the Knock Youth Festival is kicking off. The Festival is for all people between the ages of 17-30. It is a chance to come away and experience something amazing. Hundreds of young people will gather...
Poor Clares Keeping In Touch With The World
Earlier this week on RTE, Ireland's national broadcaster, John Creedon went behind the grille at the Poor Clare Convent in Galway. He was given a unique opportunity to see what happens in the convent and to chat with some of the community. It was a fascinating insight...
Festival Fun at Brightlights ’12
Aylesford Friary, in Kent, was alive last weekend with music by the MOBO nominated Jahaziel and Indecisive; workshops on a range of issues relevant to young people today; and a sense of celebration that has to be experienced to be believed. Each year hundreds of young...
Atheist Blogger becomes Catholic
Leah Libresco has caused something of a stir in the US. Most of us in Ireland and England probably never heard of her, but she's all over CNN at the moment. In the course of her regular atheist blog, 'Unequally Yoked: a geeky atheist picks fights with her Catholic...
Statio Orbis of the Eucharistic Congress
Last Sunday 60,000 pilgrims gathered in Croke Park for the Statio Orbis of the 2012 Eucharistic Congress. This gathering was the culmination of a week’s celebration of hope, exploration of faith and sharing of love. When people were asked what was so special about the...
Fr. Alan’s Interview with RTE’s Drivetime
One of the Eucharistic Congress' themes during the week was vocation to priesthood and religious life. During the course of the day a number of people, including myself, were interviewed by the national broadcaster, RTE. We talked about vocation and how God continues...