Struggling to get your children off Fortnite? There’s a reason for that
Games are designed to offer something to capture your attention every 40 seconds. No wonder it’s a battle
Breda O'Brien
Breda O'Brien columns
Mandatory abortion waiting periods do not create compassion, they create extra distress
Women facing fatal foetal diagnoses have almost always reflected extensively before presenting for care. These are not casual decisions
Abortion is the only healthcare service on which the law imposes a waiting period
The mandatory waiting period is an unacceptable, demeaning and patronising
We only talk about access to abortion – never the reasons why women choose it
Abortion allows society to shrug its shoulders - towards the children of unplanned pregnancies but also to systemic pressures, from the housing crisis to the cost of living
Honeymoon for Pope Leo will eventually come to an end. As it should
His role is not to act as a counterweight to Donald Trump
Robust criticism and mockery are not the same as urging murder and mayhem
Something is seriously awry in US culture that an attempted assassination of a president is just another day in Washington
How will Catherine Connolly represent those beyond her own ideological orbit?
Already, people of faith are unsure whether the ‘all voices’ the President said she would listen to include theirs
The audacity of newbie Catholic JD Vance lecturing Pope Leo is breathtaking
It has been disconcerting to see US Catholics belatedly turning on Trump. Where was the outrage before now?
Religion and Irish in schools
No Irish language organisation teaches that non-Irish speakers will go to hell
Why are religious schools seen as divisive but Irish-language schools are not?
There is a strange double standard about religion in schools as opposed to other areas of learning
Road death statistics are incomplete unless they include all who died
Jax’s Law would recognise babies who die in the womb as victims in road traffic collisions
He lambasted Ireland in the New York Times for locking up children. Now he may be sainted
What would Edward Flanagan say about a wealthy Ireland where children in care are put in unregulated emergency placements?
Now that my children live abroad, my uncle’s ‘bás in Éirinn’ has a new meaning
Everything from a stray sock beneath a bed to an old photo album shouts of the ones no longer here with us
All babies who die in the womb as a result of crime must be recognised as people
Jax’s Law will cover unborn babies of at least 23 weeks’ gestation who die as a result of dangerous driving
We need to pause Leaving Cert science reform immediately
It is just not possible to carry out the required assessments safely or in a way that is fair to students
My grandfather’s role in rescuing the crew of a shipwreck is part of our family lore
One hundred years on, I stood with the Spanish descendants of the captain, Joaquín Herrera, and looked at the wreckage
We profess horror at past wrongs done to children. What about the wrongs happening right now?
According to Tusla’s latest available figures, 146 people aged 18-22 moved from State care into homelessness
Christians tolerated Trump because they thought he would end abortion. They were wrong
The list of anti-Christian statements and actions by Donald Trump and JD Vance is long
Transgender rights misinformation is the last thing schools need
It was irresponsible of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties to publish the Know Your Rights guide
Why is no one talking about the grandchildren gap?
A society with fewer grandparents and grandchildren will be a colder, sadder place
Netflix hit Adolescence gets a lot wrong about the reality of boys’ struggles
Constantly pairing the words ‘masculinity’ and ‘toxic’ risks driving young men into apparently sympathetic online spaces, which reinforce a black-pilled nihilism
Stranger Things-induced nostalgia for the 80s doesn’t tally with my memories
For many of us, the 1980s in Ireland were painted in 40 shades of drab
Let’s stop treating caring as a hobby and dependence as weakness
US society has a particular difficulty with needing help, often seeing it as embarrassing or even disgusting
The in-between days from Christmas to new year are a time to embrace imperfection
Being grateful for our bodies and the way they enable us to experience the world can be an act of quiet rebellion
This is the week when ‘lapsed Catholics’ and ‘spiritual but not religious’ go to church
Churches will be full this week, but not everyone will find meaning when they visit them. We should ask why this is
Baby Christopher’s parents should not have had to wait so long for an apology
Action must be taken to ensure such a devastating error does not happen again
Leaving Cert AI reforms risk making a mockery of the principle of equality
Teachers are wearily getting on with the reformed Leaving Cert, but there are some things they just can’t do – like stopping students cheating
We need secular schools, but also schools that believe in what the nativity play embodies
Freedom of religion is mostly construed as freedom from religion, but it also encompasses the right to practise
Amid the tricolours of Dublin’s inner city, 50 faith communities are doing vital work
Irish people should understand their importance – from Kilburn to Canberra, our diaspora for generations sought out Catholic churches as bridges to their new lives
The vibes-based politics that elected Catherine Connolly are powerful, but ultimately empty
Can she be president for voters who stayed at home as well as those who came out to vote in protest?
If Tusla were a flesh and blood parent, its children would be taken away
The terrible recent events left us reeling. But what about all the kids shifted from one placement to another, in Carlow one day and Cork the next, because those are the only beds available?
Here’s why you should vote for Jim Gavin
The chance of enough people voting this way to trigger another election is slight, but it is a clear protest vote
What is the justice system for if we don’t believe in rehabilitation?
Serving time in prison should not be the start of a longer sentence of stigma and shame
One day we will have redress schemes for the children failed by Ireland’s care system
We must stop outsourcing the care of vulnerable young people
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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