Comments published this week about Ireland and the Irish – An Irish touch to farewell a legend; Southern Protestant community participates fully in modern Irish society; The Vatican sees Ireland as a disgraced and busted flush; Giving the people of Ireland a chance not chancers
An Irish touch to farewell a legend
Australia’s Newcastle Herald – IRISH Bells are an unexpected sight in an Anglican cathedral in Melbourne. The slender stems with their delicate green bells, common in Ireland, will nestle among the floral tribute today at the state funeral of Jim Stynes. The choice of St Paul’s has also struck some as incongruous, given Stynes was raised in a Catholic family in Dublin. Why, many asked, would it be an Anglican service rather than Mass at St Patrick’s, where funerals were held for prominent Melburnians Archbishop Daniel Mannix, former prime minister James Scullin and football legend Ted Whitten. There was conjecture that the reason was the guidelines for Catholic funeral services, published 18 months ago, that forbid scarves, football songs or personal eulogies in favour of liturgical readings and music. In fact, the Stynes family never approached the Catholic Church. It was the express desire of Stynes, who helped plan the funeral with his wife, Sam, that it should be an ecumenical service, according to the man who will lead it today, Dr Ray Cleary, Dean of St Paul’s.
http://www.theherald.com.au/news/national/national/general/an-irish-touch-to-farewell-a-legend/2502017.aspx
Southern Protestant community participates fully in modern Irish society
Irish Times – Robert Dowds of Lucan Parish writes in the Opinion column – OPINION: IN RESPONSE to Brian Walker’s “Watching the fate of the southern Protestant” (March 12th, 2012), it is important to point out that the Protestant community in the Irish Republic has moved on. In an Ireland of much greater diversity, Irish Protestants participate fully in society nowadays in a way that wouldn’t have seemed possible 50 or 60 years ago. They have friends throughout the community. They are involved in sporting organisations including the GAA and social bodies. They participate fully in all aspects of life.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2012/0321/1224313638544.html
Colum Kenny: The Vatican sees Ireland as a disgraced and busted flush
Irish Independent – Colum Kenny writes – ‘This is an Irish Reformation — Catholics turning quietly Protestant, but without necessarily changing church’Today only a few dozen men are preparing for the priesthood in Ireland. Yet the Vatican’s summary of reports on the Irish church written for Rome by cardinals and other senior church figures who visited this island at the request of Pope Benedict, …
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/colum-kenny/colum-kenny-the-vatican-sees-ireland-as-a-disgraced-and-busted-flush-3060509.html
Non-Irish children perform better because their parents value education
Irish Times -I have noticed a marked difference between the Irish school children in my child’s school and their non-Irish classmates. The school recently held an essay competition and awards were given in a series of categories. I’d say 60 per cent of the winners were not Irish. The school is not 60 per cent non-national. More like 15 per cent. At the end-of-year prize-giving ceremony last summer there were so many non-Irish children picking up awards for maths, physics and French ahead of their Irish schoolmates it got me thinking.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/education/2012/0327/1224313940919.html
Giving the people of Ireland a chance not chancers
Irish Times – HERE IS an obvious but startling fact: for roughly 20 of the last 30 years, Ireland has been ruled by men with, to put it mildly, a bad attitude to money. Former taoisigh Charles Haughey and Bertie Ahern were raking in very large sums from private donors for their own use. Albert Reynolds did not do this. But he was told in 1992 that Pádraig Flynn had received £50,000 from Tom Gilmartin – and did nothing about it.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2012/0327/1224313953857.html