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Fr Paddy: Harvest … a Time to Encourage
There is something very fulfilling eating fresh vegetables that you have nurtured and cultivated with your own hands.
As we celebrate the beginning of harvest...
Fr Paddy: Kildare and Leighlin Pilgrimage to Lourdes – a place of serenity
St Bernadette, of Lourdes once said “If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces... never be afraid to pick one of...
Isabel Dwyer: The transition to college
A year ago, I finished the Leaving Cert.
A week ago, I passed my first year of college. A year isn’t long, not in the...
Fr Paddy: A very clever Dog!
A wealthy man decided to go on a safari in Africa. He took his faithful pet dog along for company. One day, the dog...
Leaving Cert Diary: End of exams hits ‘me like a tonne of bricks’
I apologise for taking two weeks to write again, however ye might recall I mentioned an untidy room.
Well 17 kids in a sweet shop...
Fr Paddy: The Gift and Challenges of internet according to Pope Francis
Pope Francis recently remarked that “The Internet is a gift of God, but it is also a great responsibility.” Francis says that ”Communication technology,...
Leaving Cert Diary: Relief at finishing, throwing shapes in Carlow and turning hay
That’s all folks. All exams are now completed for all students and I’ve never experienced relief like this before.
The most surprising thing about being...
Fr Paddy: ‘When one of us is threatened, we are all at risk’
A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. “What food might this contain?”...
20 things you’ll know if you ever worked on the bog in Laois
Footing turf on the bog. Always hardship, often misery and sometimes great craic.
Anyone who has ever spent a day at it will relate to...
Leaving Cert Diary: Clonaslee girl on the home stretch now
A lot has happened since the last time I chatted you all.
With the immediate feeling of the unknown trialled and tested after day one,...
Leaving Cert Diary: One week away from finishing the greatest challenge of my life
The end is now in sight. I can almost smell the freedom that so many leaving cert students now have. With two exams, I'm...
Fr Paddy: First Communion – Sacrament or Pantomime?
Current debate and reflection regarding school patronage is both necessary and relevant. Recent Census statistics however regarding the vast majority of citizens subscribing to...
Leaving Cert Diary: Clonaslee girl reflects on week one and how her bed is...
With week one of the leaving cert 2K18 down - was I not delighted to see Eileen Ní Chuilleanáin make an appearance.
No word of...
Leaving Cert Diary: Counting down the days til I can raise my arms like...
First week down. I have completed my first three papers now, English 1 and 2 and half of maths is now done. I am...
Fr Paddy: Identify your doubt, find your mantra, take action
You don’t just wake up one morning, light streaming in from the window, birds fluttering about, and jump from your bed with exuberance declaring...
17 ways you’ll realise summer has arrived in Laois
It's been so sunny for so long now that when it inevitably goes back to normal, I'm not sure how we will cope!
But for...
Jack Nolan: Demise of Laois hurling saddens me greatly
The demise of the Laois hurling team has saddened me greatly in recent weeks.
Having closely watched it unfold I am not shocked, but I...
Leaving Cert Diary: Clonaslee girls on nerves, prayers and four exams in three days
What's better than one Leaving Cert diarist from Clonaslee? That's right, TWO!
Delighted to introduce Cecelia Flynn and Sarahjane Purcell, two Leaving Cert students from...
Leaving Cert Diary: Unfamiliar surroundings for Knockbeg exam students
Here it is. The moment I have been preparing for is just around the corner.
My brain has just reached its capacity and I...
Two Glamorous Knights: Fashion verdicts from Royal Wedding
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was held in Saint George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.
Like most people we...
Eoin Barry: How Laois voted, the impact of posters and urban-rural myth
The referendum in Laois turned many political assumptions on their head.
How people in certain areas voted, what issues they were concerned about and how...
Fr Paddy: Over the coming weeks pray for young people …
I recently came across this inspirational story…..
A shop owner placed a sign above his door that said: “Puppies For Sale.”
Signs like this always have...
Isabel Dwyer: The people of this town, this county and country showed the compassion...
Last week, prior to the referendum and its result, I spilled my thoughts into this piece and begged people to read, to listen, and...
Fr Paddy: Bishop Curry’s royal wedding sermon emphasised the power of love
The Most Rev. Michael Curry, born in Chicago, was selected by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, to present the sermon at their Saturday wedding...
Wired with Whelan: Politicians are great sports so now it’s time they sweetened the...
The Jacks are back,
The Jacks are back,
Let the Railway End go barmy,
‘Cause Hill 16
Has Never Seen
The likes of Heffo’s Army.
(1970s Dublin football fans chant...
Fr Paddy: Angels are gifts from God
Angel of God, my Guardian Dear,
To whom God’s love, commits me here,
Ever this night, be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and...
Fr Paddy: Growing Older a Sacred Gift
Growing older brings its challenges ...... But this can be a time to relish and value...the following story I find inspirational...
An 87 Year Old...
The 8th amendment failed in its purpose: Abortion exists in Ireland
Last month, our columnist Fr Paddy Byrne used his column to urge people to vote No it the upcoming Referendum on the Eight Amendment.
In...
Fr Paddy: Alfie Evans ‘A Sacred Life’
The world is mourning for Alfie Evans, a British two-year-old who this weekend passed away at Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Alfie had an extremely...
Midlands Mammy: TV, driving, perfume? What’s your treat?
It’s often said if you’re finding something tough or challenging that you should incorporate a little treat for yourself at certain points along the...
