Pope Francis gives interviews all the time and has no problem, even in the most informal of circumstances, delivering off-the-cuff remarks to the delight of reporters, ever anxious to file up-to-the-minute copy.

I heard a nice story recently about a man who lived on the side of a steep hill. When bringing home his turf from the bog with his ass and cart, he would have to take off half the load as he neared home.

I often notice the old abandoned potato ridges of Famine times as the light of evening highlights them in small fields high on the Ox Mountains.

Anne Marie Coleman lives a jet-set life in her role at Coca-Cola. As Chief of Staff to the Head of HR for the entire company, the role is undoubtedly demanding and rewarding in equal measure. She is married to Kevin and they have three daughters.

Sport has a wonderful way of unconsciously teaching us many life skills; dedication, commitment, respect, adhering to deadlines, hard work, manners, dealing with emotions, difficult times, to mention a few.

I’ve had the good fortune, since my last contribution, to have spent a week in the care of the good people of the Galway Clinic.

European elections have always tended to draw quite a bit of indifference and even confusion among the Irish electorate. It was superbly captured by a vox-pop carried out by RTÉ’s Jim Fahy in Ballaghaderreen in 2009.

As a young man, the spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen was travelling around Ireland. In Donegal, he witnessed an ‘Irish’ burial, watching it over a stone wall.

A swelling tide is rising across Europe, carrying seeds of uncertain political change in its currents.

Will Labour definitely win an overall majority in the British General Election, and what would that mean? There is no doubt the Tories are on their way out, but it remains to be seen whether the presumption that Labour will win a comfortable working ...