EASTER is early this year, after which, you could say, the academic year is more or less busted for another year.

AMERICAN stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author George Carlin, at age 102, offered the following wisdom that is deeply relevant for us all. If you don’t read this to the very end, you have lost a day in your life.

CAN anyone please tell me why there is a sudden fascination with widening footpaths all over the country? And despite objections from businesses and residents – no matter where the work is taking place – the authorities are intent on pursuing ...

LENT 2026 is a sacred season that invites humanity to enter a time of prayer, fasting, almsgiving and deeper conversion.

THERE are now more Irish pubs abroad than in Ireland. In fact, there are 53 countries in the world where you can find an Irish pub, including such far-off places as Mongolia, Bolivia, Russia and Australia.

OUR definition of a medical emergency and the government’s interpretation of the same thing are totally different. Any right thinking person would view an emergency as just that – something which needs to be dealt with now. But not government.

IT was once considered a place where old politicians went to retire – but now there is a major reluctance by people even to let their names be put down as possible contenders for the Áras.

"I know shopping online can be a godsend when you can order and pay in an instant with little effort and all from the comfort of your armchair, but then we hear the horror stories of people losing thousands at the hands of scammers and wish for a less stressful time when cash was king."

POPE Leo XIV has declared St John Henry Newman a ‘doctor’ of the Church, bestowing one of the Catholic Church’s highest honours on the deeply influential 19th century Anglican convert, who remains a unifying figure among conservatives and ...

I HAVE come to the conclusion that I may be a racist without knowing it. Sounds stupid, doesn’t it, but last week I read something which got my blood boiling, leading me to that thought. It revolves around asylum seekers.

I WATCHED the 1993 blockbuster Schindler’s List again last week. For those of you who don’t know what it is about, the film tells the story of a German industrialist who saved the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Second World War.

TIME and seasons come and go. So far, 2025 seems to have moved very quickly. It’s hard to believe this week we begin the month of August. Traditionally, August is associated with harvest and thanksgiving.

I GOT a little surprise the other day – my bank gave me a refund. OK, I didn’t actually receive a gift as such – after all, a refund is really the return of your own money – but nevertheless it was a welcome boost to the often-stretched bank balance.

I HAD to laugh to myself last week when I read that the notion of a tourism tax for people visiting the capital had not been put to bed.

PERSPECTIVE is a great thing. Two people can look at something and come up with a completely different views. Take the latest JNLR survey, for instance.

I urge people to set aside whatever misconceptions they have of events such as Pan Celtic and go to one or more of the events over the coming days. You may be surprised by what you find

I AM ALL FOR anything that will improve the overall appearance of Carlow.

SOMETIMES we are so intent on criticising all the wrongs that we see, the wastefulness in the public service, the lack of accountability, the continuous failure of systems to deliver a good service, that we completely miss a lot of the good we see ...