Declan McSweeney – Slugger O'Toole

‘The Turning Tide’ shows Northern Ireland more religious than Republic…

Declan McSweeney on March 7, 2026, 8:32 am

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a church with a statue of a priest in the center

Research recently published by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference has drawn considerable attention, highlighting how church attendance is considerably higher in Northern Ireland than in either the Republic of Ireland or how Great Britain. “The Turning Tide” has also led to debate on how attendance in Ireland generally remains higher than in most of Europe, despite a major decline in the past three decades: https://www.catholicbishops.ie/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/The-Turning-Tide-Final-Draft.pdf Researched by Emily Nelson and Stephen Bullivant, it finds 32% of Irish adults, and 42% …

Why is Cardinal Vincent Nichols still Archbishop of Westminster?

Declan McSweeney on August 9, 2023, 8:48 am

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He is now approaching his 78th birthday, nearly three years after offering his resignation to Pope Francis in accordance with the Catholic Church’s rules that bishops must do so on their 75th birthday, yet there is no sign of a successor being appointed. While it is normal for bishops to remain on for some time after their 75th birthday while a successor is being chosen, the apparent lack of urgency in finding a new prelate to head the most senior …

Reflecting on Ireland’s National Day of Commemoration…

Declan McSweeney on July 15, 2023, 7:00 am

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Ireland’s National Day of Commemoration was first held in 1986 at the Garden of Remembrance in central Dublin, but later moved to the Royal Hospital, in Kilmainham in the city’s western suburbs. This year, for the first time, it moved out of the capital and was held at Collins Barracks in Cork. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that it may move to other regional centres. The event is held annually on the Sunday nearest July 11, the date of the …

There are fewer members of Dáil Éireann today from religious minorities than there were 30 years ago…

Declan McSweeney on July 7, 2023, 8:45 am

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It’s a matter of surprise to me that there are fewer members of Dáil Éireann today from religious minorities than there were 30 years ago, despite the Republic being a much more diverse society. At that time there were three members of the Church of Ireland in the Dáil – Ivan Yates of Fine Gael, Jan O’Sullivan of Labour and the late Johnny Fox, an independent. There were also three Jews – Ben Briscoe of Fianna Fáil, Alan Shatter of …

Christianity and disability…

Declan McSweeney on June 18, 2023, 7:10 am

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People with disabilities of various kinds have become increasingly visible in recent decades, with the focus shifting away from ‘pity’ to a sense of equality and the need for society to make adjustments to allow such people to take their rightful place in the workforce and in community groups. I have been thinking lately about how the Christian churches fit into this, and more specifically how the approach on sexual matters links into this. Articles like this one reflect on …

The land of informal Saints and Scholars…

Declan McSweeney on May 14, 2023, 7:59 am

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a statue of a person holding a torch

Ireland has long been known as the ‘Land of Saints and Scholars’ and yet the vast majority of those honoured are saints lived in the days before canonisation became a formal procedure. Up to the 12th century, one was ‘acclaimed’ by the local church as a saint, with the idea that it had to go to Rome only being introduced at that stage. In 1170, Pope Alexander III declared that no one should be honoured as a saint without papal …

Does Ireland have a dismissive attitude to its diaspora?

Declan McSweeney on May 11, 2023, 9:51 am

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desk globe on table

I am puzzled by an attitude I have encountered on the part of some in Ireland towards those of us who are Irish in Britain. There are some who seem to see us as ‘traitors’, and I was reminded of this when I read comments on the Irish Independent Facebook page about the actress Jessie Buckley, a native of Killarney resident in Norfolk. The young woman, who also works at times in the USA, expressed doubts whether she would ever …

The Future of the Monarchy: King Charles III’s Coronation and Beyond…

Declan McSweeney on May 6, 2023, 7:00 am

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a crowd of people in front of a statue

The news that not only President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar but also Sinn Féin’s Northern Ireland leader, Michelle O’Neill, are to attend the coronation of King Charles III underlines the enormous improvements in relations between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement. Their presence in Westminster Abbey reflects the success of the visit by the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to the Republic in 2011, as well as the …

What does St Patrick signify today, in the increasingly diverse nation that is modern Ireland?

Declan McSweeney on March 15, 2023, 4:42 pm

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a statue of a man holding a staff

St Patrick’s Day is known the world over as a celebration of everything Irish, synonymous with the proverbial green outfits. Here in England, it is celebrated far more widely than St George’s day (April 23). Yet, behind the excuse for the party lies the story of a Briton who made his home in Ireland in the most extraordinary of circumstances. I am old enough to remember March 17 as the one day of the year we had Mass in Irish …

The question arises in 2023 about the state of ecumenism and what precisely is meant by being ‘one’?

Declan McSweeney on January 23, 2023, 4:21 pm

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several assorted-color glass frames

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is observed annually from January 18-25, based on the prayer of Jesus “that they all may be one” (John 17:21), culminating in the feast of the Conversion of St Paul. The question arises in 2023 about the state of ecumenism and what precisely is meant by being ‘one’. It seems to me that the idea of organic unity is a pipe dream and we should not waste time pursuing it; as long ago …

The ongoing revelations about sexual, physical and psychological abuse in schools gives rise to mixed emotions in many of us…

Declan McSweeney on December 21, 2022, 6:34 pm

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grayscale photo of people sitting on chair

I have previously written of my experiences in covering the child abuse issue for the now-closed Offaly Express. More recently, the coverage of events relating to the Spiritans, Dominicans, Vincentians and other orders has brought the matter to the fore once again. However, arguably less attention has been paid to physical and psychological abuse in girls’ schools, an issue explored in a recent Irish Times article. After I posted that article on Facebook, I must admit I was gobsmacked by …

When it comes to getting a diagnosis, it is better late than never…

Declan McSweeney on November 30, 2022, 11:02 am

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person sitting while using laptop computer and green stethoscope near

From my earliest childhood, I was aware there were medical issues which set me apart from my peer group. I suffered from asthma and infantile eczema in childhood, but largely grew out of them as I got older. They did lead to my missing primary school a lot, and not getting involved in sport, but I became a keen reader instead, which was to help me academically. However, as time went on it became clear that there were other issues …

Why do clergy provide character references in sex offender cases?

Declan McSweeney on November 13, 2022, 6:55 am

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church interior

The recent publicity regarding the controversial sermon by Father Seán Sheehy in St Mary’s Church, Listowel, has reminded the public of the previous controversy 13 years ago, when he provided a reference for local bouncer Danny Foley after he was convicted of sexual assault. The evidence given on that occasion, which included CCTV footage, led to a unanimous verdict from a jury of 10 men and two women, resulting in the conviction for the assault on the 22-year-old woman. Judge …

Exposing the darkness at the heart of Irish Society…

Declan McSweeney on May 23, 2022, 10:26 am

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Hope

I joined the staff of the now-closed Offaly Express in 1988 but did not begin to cover law courts in earnest until 1995, following the retirement of the late Eddie Rogers. That period coincided approximately with the first cases relating to child sexual abuse. From 1994 onwards, local and national media found themselves having to cover such cases as they began to come to light to a greater degree. That year saw the revelations of the Brendan Smyth saga, which …

How should Irish Churches responds to racism?

Declan McSweeney on April 12, 2022, 1:38 pm

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bible, rosary, prayer

In recent weeks, we have seen the churches play a key role in the efforts to welcome Ukrainian refugees, with priests’ houses and convents among the buildings used to house them. This reflects a wider trend in which church leaders have urged Irish people to welcome migrants, just as the Irish were welcomed in other lands down the centuries. In this article, I wish to focus on the Catholic Church, though doubtless much of what I say applies to other …