Free Republic

"Turn on your Heart Light" My proximity to you is an eternal embrace so let go of your life for it is in my hand and your destiny is everlasting as long as you love to forgive with a true heart found only through me for my love is the window to your peace and joy found in the power of Virtue for holiness must be the voice in your mind perpetually to see as I see and hear The Shepherd of your heart light !

The Taoiseach has said he is extremely concerned about the rise of the far-right in this country, adding that anti-refugee protests are “not the Irish way”. Leo Varadkar said scenes witnessed at a number of protests in recent days and weeks are not acceptable, but admitted that robust systems must be put in place to ensure people who arrive here have genuine reasons to seek international protection. “Refugees are welcome here,” he said. Mr. Varadkar confirmed that the refugee crisis and the war in Ukraine were raised during a meeting with European Parliament president Roberta Metsola in Government Buildings. Speaking...

A spike in the number of deaths in recent weeks has disrupted funeral arrangements and put mortuaries under unprecedented stress. An Irish Examiner analysis of death notices on the website rip.ie shows there were 9,718 published in the eight-week period from December 1, 2022, to January 25, 2023 — up 20% from 8,075 in the same period a year earlier. The figure is also considerably higher than the 8,135 death notices published in the same period to January 25, 2021, when the country was in the grip of the worst period of the Covid pandemic. Pre-pandemic, 6,802 death notices were...

The European Commission will refer Ireland to the European Court of Justice for failing to correctly transpose the Water Framework Directive into Irish law — despite the signing into law in Ireland last month of new water-related legislation to addresses their concerns. The EU Directive establishes a framework for protecting inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwater by preventing their further deterioration, preventing pollution as well as protecting and enhancing water dependent ecosystems and water resources. […] The Water Framework Directive requires that all inland and coastal waters reach at least good status by 2027 at the latest....

youtube

Road users are being urged to take care following overnight snowfalls in many areas, with low temperatures leading to icy conditions. Met Éireann meteorologist Gerry Murphy said any showers this morning could be of sleet and snow, although as the day goes on showers will be predominantly of rain and sleet. Two Status Yellow warnings for snow and ice remain in place for 22 counties until 9 am. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr. Murphy said it will be quite cold again tonight and temperatures will drop down as low as –4°C in places, with rain and sleet developing in...

Ireland must prepare to grant asylum to migrants supposedly fleeing climate change, a government minister from the Green Party has declared. Roderic O’Gorman, Ireland’s controversial Minister for Children, has declared that his country must make preparations to allow in a large number of migrants supposedly fleeing from the effects of climate change. While Ireland has already been pursuing a relatively open borders approach when it comes to the issue of Europe’s ongoing migrant crisis, the suggestion that it starts allowing climate migrants to stay in the country has shocked even some of the Irish government’s own ministers. Speaking to the...

Ireland is in the midst of a “medical workforce shortage”, according to the Irish Medical Organization’s Chairman of the Consultant Committee, Dr. Matthew Sadlier. “We are facing an international, global medical workforce shortage,” he said on RTÉ’s Drivetime. “We are competing against countries like Australia and Canada for doctors and frankly we are losing those competitions in being able to recruit doctors.” Dr. Sadlier said it is “increasingly difficult” to recruit junior doctors and there are many vacant consultant posts. He added that if the solution is to make the doctors already in the system work longer hours, that will...

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said mistakes were made on all sides in the handling of Brexit, but vowed to be “flexible and reasonable” when attempting to solve issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol. He conceded that the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol is “too strict” and said he understands unionist concerns that the treaty has made them feel less British. Mr. Varadkar, who became Taoiseach for a second time in December, has become deeply unpopular within some sections of unionism and loyalism who claim he was an instrumental figure in the creation of the contentious protocol. His name and image have...

1) This is just some random street in a busy shopping area in December in Dublin, Ireland. 2) These are average, randomly appearing Dublin women and girls. Of the dozens, I only saw 1 overweight woman. Many looked like models. 3) Impeccable sense of style, perfect hair, great skin unembellished by pock-marked drug usage signs, absence of tattoos on face/neck, no trashy clothes. 4) No weird purple haired trannies, no homeless people, no criminals, everyone in a good mood. Why such a contrast with our big cities on the west coast? What went wrong here? What is your experience elsewhere...

Hospital ‘does not advocate for termination, that is just the lived experience’, says Prof Fergal MaloneAbout 95 per cent of parents whose babies are diagnosed with Down syndrome at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin choose to have an abortion, according to the master of the hospital. Prof Fergal Malone says the Rotunda strives to be non-directive in its counselling to affected parents. “The 95 per cent who choose to travel do reach that decision themselves. We very much do not advocate for termination,” he said. “The reality is that the vast majority choose to terminate. I don’t have a view...

Relatives of those killed in a Loyalist massacre in Derry 50 years ago today will gather tonight to remember their loved ones. Charles Moore, Frank McCarron, Michael McGinley, Barney Kelly and Charlie McCafferty were shot dead as they enjoyed a drink in Annie's in the Top of the Hill area of Derry, just five days before Christmas in December 1972. There will be a special Remembrance Mass at 6pm this evening (Tuesday) at St Columb’s Church on Chapel Road. It was from this same church that some of the victims were laid to rest following Requiem Mass in the days...

The HSE’s Chief Operations Officer has warned that Ireland is dealing with a “triple wave of viruses” as new advice is issued to the public. Listing the issues at hand, Damien McCallion said that there are 600 people are in the hospital with COVID, 300 patients have the flu and 250 children are in hospital with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he described the situations as a “unique position that we have never had before”. He went on to say that having all three illnesses spiking at the same time means the healthcare system is under...

Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) will be appointed the U.S. special envoy to Northern Ireland for economic affairs, the State Department announced Monday. The role will involve focusing on advancing economic development and investment opportunities in Northern Ireland. It will also focus on “strengthening people-to-people ties between the United States and Northern Ireland,” according to the State Department. The role is intended to build on the U.S. commitment to stability in Northern Ireland and the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. President Biden, through his time in office, has stressed his commitment to protecting the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

Ireland is in for below-freezing temperatures next week as forecasts show a major drop on the way — predicted to head as low as –12°C in some counties. Met Éireann’s forecast for the week ahead says it is due to be “very cold” in the second week of December; however, rainfall amounts are due to be below average. There will be many clear spells tonight, with isolated showers continuing in the east of the country. Lowest temperatures will range from –1 to +4 degrees with frost expected. Things are due to stay dry in many areas with sunny spells, and...

An Irish-based senior executive with Twitter has secured a temporary High Court injunction preventing the social networking giant from terminating her employment. The order was secured by Sinéad McSweeney, who is Twitter’s Global Vice President for Public Policy. She claims that by not responding to a generic and vague email sent to all Twitter employees by its owner, multibillionaire Elon Musk, earlier this month, she has been treated as if she is no longer employed by the company. […] Mr. Musk, she claims, has since the takeover been running the company “in an unorthodox manner” and has been rehiring and...

No matter the nature of your St. Patrick's Day traditions, great food is an absolute must. From classic (and not-so-classic) soda breads to stout-battered onion rings and corned beef galore, these 19 Irish-inflected dishes and cocktails will keep you well-fed all day long. Breads Real Irish Soda Bread In the olden days, soda bread was baked over hot coals in a skillet, where the bread developed a thick, lovely crust. Now we bake the bread in our oven, but doing so in a Dutch Oven produces the same crusty loaf that we love so much. Irish Brown Bread If you...

The data, which shows only 2.5% of Irish priests are below the age of 40, has people wondering how the clergy will handle the work load.A survey taken by Ireland’s Association for Catholic Priests (ACP) has revealed that about a quarter of the nation’s clergymen will reach or surpass the age of 75 within the next 15 years. Furthermore, it was found that only an estimated 2.5% of active Catholic priests in Ireland are below the age of 40. The data was shared at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), in October. RetirementWhile a Catholic diocesan priest is allowed to seek...

Hundreds of people took to the streets in Ireland today to protest against the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Over 20 local protests took place around the country on Saturday, with over 500 people joining the protest in Cork city. Protesters in Cork gathered on Grand Parade this afternoon before marching to the GPO where they staged a brief sit-down protest and then continued to City Hall. The aim of the demonstrations was to send a message to the Government about soaring costs facing the population especially gas and electricity prices, the housing crisis, and rising food prices. They chanted: “Freeze prices,...

The Wonder (15, 108mins) Verdict: Compelling period drama Rating: **** The 2017 film Disobedience received oodles of critical acclaim without ever quite getting the audiences it deserved. It was about a woman, played by Rachel Weisz, ostracised by the strictly orthodox Jewish community in which she’d grown up in London after falling romantically for another woman. Disobedience was an auspicious English-language debut by talented Chilean director Sebastian Leilo, and in The Wonder, his third film in English (the second was another corker, Gloria Bell, with Julianne Moore), Leilo tackles some of the same subjects: religious intensity, a woman’s refusal to...