Naming the Assumptions Let us start by stating two common assumptions: The first position used to be extended often by Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens and their ilk. I have heard it myself: that religion is a sort of psychological crutch for people who can’t quite cope. While it seems like it might have some… Read more »
Last January, the Irish Times published an opinion piece by myself and Imam Samsudeen MecSheain: ‘Freedom of religion an empty formula unless places to worship available.’ It drew attention to a new and unfamiliar reality. People who have recently moved to Ireland do something, which we historically did when we were an emigrant people. They… Read more »
In August, my colleague Kevin Hargaden posted a blog on the scramble for student accommodation and dignity in housing, drawing important attention on how we see quality housing contributing to the “common good”. The piece argues that we need affordable housing near to campuses, and I agree. But what we also need—and a thought that… Read more »
Once upon a time, long ago, I found myself sitting in a hotel bar having coffee with a prominent writer who self consciously presents themselves as a defender of the best of conservative political theory. The conversation flowed pretty naturally. I love to talk about ideas, especially with people who come at things differently from… Read more »
The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice is delighted to announce the appointment of Fr Niall Leahy SJ as its new Director. The appointment marks a further investment by the Irish Jesuits in the mission and work of JCFJ. Speaking on behalf of the Board of Management, the Chairperson, Dr Pat Nolan, has given Fr… Read more »
In October 2022, two young people from the environmental activist group, Just Stop Oil, walked into the National Gallery in London carrying tins of soup. They opened one tin and hurled it over the glass protecting Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting Sunflowers. The painting itself was unharmed. The seventeenth-century Italian frame was splashed. It needed some… Read more »
Every August and September, the housing shortage shows up on campus. First year students move across the country without certainty about where they will sleep. Returning students juggle long commutes, term-time sublets, and rising rents. Parents bounce desperate messages into WhatsApp groups looking for leads. This is now a familiar seasonal pattern, yet it points… Read more »
Irish country-pop singer, CMAT, recently released a new song “Euro-Country” in which she depicts life in Ireland since the Celtic Tiger and the Crash. The song is beautiful and haunting, reminding us of the legacy of the Boom and the Bust-era and how it, to this day, has its grip on every aspect of our lives.… Read more »
If you do a search for the word ‘local’ in Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ letter on the care of our common home, you will discover that the document is peppered with references to all sorts of local concerns, actors and solutions.
In April 1815, the Mount Tambora volcano in Indonesia erupted with a force unmatched in recorded history. A massive plume of ash and gas reached the stratosphere, darkening the skies. The year before, a lesser eruption in the Philippines had already primed the atmosphere. Together, they ejected extraordinary quantities of debris into the environment. The… Read more »
Working Notes is a journal published by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. The journal focuses on social, economic and theological analysis of Irish society. It has been produced since 1987.
