Opinion
New Year And All Year Resolutions
CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton Happy New Year to one and all. New Year always feels like a time for new beginnings and resolutions, and like most I start off with great intentions. This year I’m asking myself, how can I contribute to making the world and my community a better place? How …
The best Christmases of my life
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran Some years back, a Fr Ronan Drury, the then Editor of The Furrow, made contact wondering if I would write a piece on how Christmas was different for me having recently retired from the teaching profession. The Furrow is a monthly journal for the contemporary church and enjoys an international reputation …
Of Gods and Men, and a monastery in North Africa
THE LAST WORD By Pat Coughlan Picture this: It’s the 1990s and there’s this monastery in North Africa where eight French monks live among their Muslim neighbours. Everything’s peaceful until one day, things go sideways when a violent extremist group makes its presence known, and suddenly everyone’s on edge. The monks hit a crossroads — …
A selection of books for the festive season
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Reading is among the greatest gifts given to Mankind. Here is a selection of books that not only make for excellent presents but also offer valuable insights and a few laughs. Money: A Story of Humanity by David McWilliams This is an accessible and entertaining account following the history of …
Time to untie the knot of social pain
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON Only the lonely Know the way I feel tonight Only the lonely Know this feeling ain’t right. Roy Orbison’s lyrics touch on the loneliness conundrum. You can feel perfectly fine alone – and a third of over 65s in Ireland live alone – without feeling lonely. But if …
Why you should make Christmas Day matter
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS In an age where we are increasingly cynical, the thinking goes that Christmas is at best a hijacked pagan orgy, that of Saturnalia, and at worst a humongous hybrid of religious conditioning and monetary manipulation. Given the excesses in both celebration and in spending — for those …
BY JOHN FITZGERALD (Part two) Continuing the story of the magnificent St. Mary’s cathedral that dominates the skyline around Kilkenny… There’s an intriguing story behind a Madonna that stands outside the cathedral, but still within the grounds…a lonely but compelling figure that draws thousands of visitors annually to behold its heavenly visage. This six-and-a-half foot life-size …
Healthy sitting habits
Our ancestors have a few things to teach us about how we have adapted to sit By Paul Bolger. Chartered Physiotherapist at Nano Physiotherapy, Kilkenny (www.nanophysio.ie). How we work has changed in the past few decades here in Ireland. Sedentary, seated jobs have been on the rise while more physical roles have been in decline for …
Christmas is not for everyone
BY CLAIR WHITTY Christmas is not for everyone, I write about this every year. I know that some of you can’t understand what all the fuss is about or just don’t like the busyness of the shops, restaurants and even the roads at this time of year. Financial strain can cause enormous stress and anxiety. …
St Mary’s: Cathedral of Light
BY JOHN FITZGERALD (Part one) For Kilkenny, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the chiming of the bells in St. Mary’s. Whether you hear them as a call to prayer, a reminder of an upcoming carol service; or just a harmonic interlude on a dark winter morning or evening, the sound has a soothing note to …
