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Under new Covid restrictions passed into law last night in the Dail, a priest can now be fined, or imprisoned, or both, for saying Mass in public. The same applies to any minister of religion who holds a public act of worship. This is drastic, draconian and unacceptable and must raise questions about the Constitutionality of the measure, quite apart from its total disproportionality. Aside from Wales, the Republic of Ireland appears to be the only place in Europe where public worship has stopped, and in our case, now attracts penal sanctions. Prior to this pandemic, when did such a...

The town of Fermoy in County Cork has cut ties with its Polish twin, Nowa Dęba, over a motion opposing “LGBT ideology”. All six councillors in Fermoy voted to sever the town’s 14-year relationship with the eastern Polish town, which had included exchange visits and cultural events, said Councillor Noel McCarthy who proposed the vote. “We terminated because we felt that their local authority had discriminated against the LGBT community,” Mr. McCarthy said, referring to a motion passed by Nowa Dęba in 2019. […] Nowa Dęba’s 2019 resolution pledged to “defend our tradition, culture and religion against aggressive, deceptive and...

People who breach the Government’s COVID-19 restrictions can be issued with an on-the-spot fine of up to €500 under legislation to be passed in the coming days, the Cabinet has agreed. The legislation will pave the way for proportionate fines for those who hold house parties, travel beyond the five-kilometer limit or refuse to wear a face covering. However, this legislation will not be in place by midnight tomorrow when the new restrictions kick in. This means that the current penalty of €2,500 or up to six months in prison will apply for travel restriction breaches until the new law...

THE woman accused of murdering her ex-husband at a house in Macroom claimed she stabbed him two or three times and that the deceased’s brother then picked up the knife and began stabbing the victim who was found with 28 stab wounds. The accused called her ex-husband “an evil bastard” who stabbed her on seven occasions before this incident. This suggestion that the victim’s brother stabbed him was made by Roderick O’Hanlon senior counsel for Rita O’Driscoll of Bridge Street, Bandon, County Cork, who denies the murder of 44-year-old Timmy Foley at 12 Dan Corkery Place, Macroom, County Cork, on...

Another Irish priest allows Muslim imam to lead prayers in Catholic Church A local imam joined Fr. Fergal MacDonagh at Our Lady of Dolours Church, Dolphin’s Barn, in a prayer service to mark the commencement of the new school year. DUBLIN, Ireland, October 9, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A Catholic school in Dublin invited a Muslim leader to issue a blessing to the students, as well as to offer a prayer in which he referenced Christ as a mere “prophet.”   A local imam joined Fr. Fergal MacDonagh at Our Lady of Dolours Church, Dolphin’s Barn, in a prayer service to mark the commencement of the new school year.  The Muslim...

A reporter for Australia's ABC met two of the men charged in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Journalist David Lipson suggests that the brothers Michael and William Null were more pretenders than the "real deal"..... A private security guard for a Denver TV station arrested after he shot and killed a conservative protester who sprayed him with mace following a verbal altercation..... Sweeping arrests in Portland late Sautrday night during a protest near a police precinct.... Also in Portland this weekend Patriot Prayer supporters removing a statue erected by anti-police violence protesters...... A federal appeals court...

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – Catholics in the Republic of Ireland are experiencing “obvious disappointment” after the government announced public worship won’t be allowed beginning Wednesday. The country has been seeing a surge of positive tests for COVID-19, with 517 recorded on Oct. 5. Professor Philip Nolan of the National Public Health Emergency Team said this weekend the disease has been growing at a rate of 4 percent per day since June, and the country’s 14-day incidence rate is now 35 cases per 100,000 people. On Monday, it was announced that Ireland would enter “level 3” of COVID-19 prevention for three...

Ireland’s health chiefs recommended to the government on Sunday that the country enter a second nationwide lockdown for four weeks in a surprise move that cabinet will discuss on Monday, two government sources said. Ireland’s National Public Health Emergency Team recommended a leap to the highest level of COVID-19 restrictions, Level 5, from current Level 2 controls in 24 of Ireland’s 26 counties and stricter Level 3 measures in Dublin and Donegal. The government has almost entirely adopted their health chiefs’ advice throughout the pandemic, but one of the sources said a return to lockdown would have a serious economic...

LONDON -- Ireland’s Supreme Court has issued a ruling declaring that for the purposes of tax law, the bread served in Subway's hot sandwiches does not actually meet the legal definition of “bread” because of its sugar content and is rather a "confectionary or fancy baked good." The case was brought before the court by Subway franchisee Bookfinders Ltd. which claimed that the bread Subway served qualified as a “staple food,” which, in Ireland, means that the bread would be exempt from value-added tax (VAT), thereby saving Subway money.

Ireland’s highest court isn’t sweet on tax breaks for footlongs. The country’s Supreme Court ruled that the starch used in Subway sandwiches is too sugary to meet the definition of “bread” — a legal distinction that would have saved the firm some dough. In deciding whether to give the fast-food chain a tax break for serving a “staple” food item, the five-judge panel ruled that the bread’s sugar-to-flour content is roughly five times too high to qualify, according to the Irish Independent.

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – Former Irish President Mary McAleese says she is pledging “to use whatever time is left to me” to challenge Church teachings on homosexuality and women. Speaking to The View on BBC Northern Ireland on Thursday night, McAleese said, “What else I am going to do in retirement except make myself useful in that regard?” McAleese, 69, served as president of Ireland – a largely ceremonial position – from 1997-2011. She has clashed with Church leaders in the past and was barred from attending a conference taking place at the Vatican in 2018. A longtime critic of...

An Irish tourist has been accused of vandalizing Rome's Colosseum after security staff spotted him allegedly carving his initials into the ancient Italian structure. The Carabinieri police said the 32-year-old man was caught by the Colosseum's private security on Monday and immediately reported to officers. The man's two initials, about 6 centimeters (2 inches) high, were said to have been carved with a metal point on a pillar of the first floor of the 2,000-year-old monument.

Five Iowa cities have imposed face mask-muzzle orders in the last ten days..... A protest in Moscow, Idaho this weekend following arrests at a worship service there over wearing masks and social distancing...... "scared" and "confused" Thousands of university students locked down in their residence halls in the UK...... Meanwhile in Ireland Professor Dolores Cahill says that a positive COVID-19 test may mean the presence of the common cold..... After yesterday's show of strength by the "Proud Boys" of the "Right" in Portland who were opposed by the "Left" the "Left" took its protest into downtown Portland Saturday night. Police...

Protesters gathered outside the RTE studios in Donnybrook on Friday to tell Late Late Show guest Dr Anthony Fauci to ‘go home’. The American immunologist has served as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, and appeared on Friday’s episode of the Late Late Show via Zoom to speak to Ryan Tubridy about the progress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Posts encouraging people to protest Dr Fauci’s appearance on the Late Late Show circulated on social media earlier this week, announcing that a ‘rally for truth’ would be held from 5pm on September 25 outside ‘the...

AMERICA's top doctor Dr Anthony Fauci has revealed he's "impressed" with Ireland's handling of the Covid-19 crisis. The physician and immunologist praised how the country is dealing with the killer virus, saying: "I had my staff brief me". Dr Anthony Fauci made the comments on RTE 2 Dr Anthony Fauci made the comments on RTE He was 'briefed' by his team on the country's Covid plan 2 He was 'briefed' by his team on the country's Covid plan Asked if he was impressed with our Covid plan by Ryan Tubridy on RTE's Late Late Show, he said: "I am, it...

In this new Year my children of light shall be my children of gladness in that my spirit will overwhelm the valleys with floods of my Angels of Breakthrough . New cures for diseases will sprout up as blades of grass. In this very same way as my children of light touch those crying out to me, truly you shall see unclean spirits leave them as healing rises up in their wellsprings. My justice shall be swift and true. My Word will become paramount for there is power in My Word and as you declare I shall remove the mountains...

Britain’s US trade deal is in jeopardy if the UK endangers Northern Ireland peace over Brexit, US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said. “We can’t allow the [1998] Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit,” Biden said on Wednesday (16 September). “Any trade deal between the US and UK must be contingent upon respect for the agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. Period,” he added. Biden spoke out during a visit by British foreign secretary Dominic Raab to Washington. The Democrats’ concern comes after the UK threatened to...

[Barf Alert] Catholics demanding Communion on the tongue a threat to public health, says priest Bishops advised ‘there must be limits to appeasement’ in dealings with alt-right views A Waterford priest has criticised as selfish the behaviour of Catholics who demand Communion on the tongue despite Covid-19 restrictions.Fr Liam Power, former communications officer with the diocese of Waterford and Lismore, said such people did not seem to “respect the danger this represented to others” and were a cause of “very serious embarrassment for priests, many of whom are elderly”.While the number making such demands was “not huge, reports were fairly...

Van Morrison has described the British government as “fascist bullies disturbing our peace” in one of three new tracks he has written to protest against safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. On No More Lockdown, Morrison sings: “No more lockdown / No more government overreach / No more fascist bullies / Disturbing our peace … No more taking of our freedom / And our God-given rights / Pretending it’s for our safety / When it’s really to enslave …” The song also condemns “celebrities telling us what we’re supposed to feel”, although the 75-year-old Northern Irish songwriter denied...

...the research team extracted and analysed DNA from the remains of 442 men, women and children... from archaeological sites in Scandinavia, the U.K., Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, Estonia, Ukraine, Poland and Russia, and mostly date to the Viking Age (ca. 750-1050 AD). The team's analyses yielded a number of findings. One of the most noteworthy is that contrary to what has often been assumed, Viking identity was not limited to people of Scandinavian ancestry -- the team discovered that two skeletons from a Viking burial site in the Orkney Islands were of Scottish ancestry. They also found evidence that there was...